The Telegraph have used the international break to generate a bit of hypothetical debate by forming their British & Irish Lions football squad despite the fact that it will never, ever happen.
While the rugby equivalent managed to hold a level of interest to justify it's existence thanks to the competitive nature of the tests against the All Blacks, the main focus surrounding the whole event was the uncertainty over the selections, and which players were making the cut.
That's why despite knowing it's not going to happen, and despite knowing that this is literally just the Daily Telegraph's Sports Desk sitting around and having a meeting as to who they would include in the side... We still want to know who they picked.
Of the 23 players - from England, Scotland, Wales, Republic of Ireland, and Northern Ireland - the breakdown goes as follows:
England: 14
Wales: 3
Scotland: 2
Northern Ireland: 2
Republic of Ireland: 2
And here is the squad in full:
Goalkeepers:
Jack Butland (England)
Joe Hart (England)
Craig Gordon (Scotland)Defenders:
Seamus Coleman (Republic of Ireland)
Ben Davies (Wales)
Jonny Evans (Northern Ireland)
John Stones (England)
Gary Cahill (England)
Kyle Walker (England)
Chris Smalling (England)Midfielders:
Aaron Ramsey (Wales)
Jordan Henderson (England)
Eric Dier (England)
Steven Davis (Northern Ireland)
Dele Alli (England)
Gareth Bale (Wales)
Raheem Sterling (England)
Robbie Brady (Republic of Ireland)Strikers:
Harry Kane (England)
Marcus Rashford (England)
Danny Welbeck (England)
Leigh Griffiths (Scotland)
Daniel Sturridge (England)
Daniel Sturridge? That's a good one. Give us Shane Long chasing lost causes over the melancholic shrugs of the perennially struggling Sturridge any day. Jamie Vardy is surely a more valid suggestion. Aside from that, there can't be too much argument for the inclusion of more Irish players, especially when you consider that suggesting James McClean have any involvement with this team would likely not go down well at all.
It should also be noted that this was initially a 22-man squad that was altered to include Robbie Brady after The Telegraph seemingly realised that a 22-man squad was pointless, but regardless here is what they had to say about the two selections from the Republic:
Seamus Coleman:
The Ireland captain is arguably their only world class player and you would struggle to find a better right back in Europe. Unlike a lot of other attacking full backs, the 28-year-old is just as strong defensively as he is going forward. The perfect professional, he is the sort of quietly determined player that demands inclusion in this squad. He would be my first choice to start too.Robbie Brady:
He can be infuriating but he is also the creative spark in the Ireland team and his set-piece delivery is superb. The former Manchester United and Hull City player can also play in a number of different positions and could eventually grow into a number 10. At the moment though, he is probably best deployed on the left flank.
You can read the reasoning behind the selection of each player in the full list over on Telegraph.co.uk.
