by starting the friendlies in March.

The anticipation had been that Hart would still be included as an experienced third-choice – a role he would have been willing to fulfil – but his toils at club level appear to have prompted the management to change their mind. The 31-year-old was duly told in a phone-call with Southgate on Monday evening, with the player on an end‑of‑season trip with his West Ham team-mates, that he would not be travelling to a fifth major finals.

The City goalkeeper had spent the campaign on loan at the London Stadium, where his form was indifferent. He lost his place towards the end of November to Adrián, regaining it briefly in March before high-profile errors against Burnley and Stoke, and started only 19 league gamesin total. His last appearance was in a 4-1 defeat at Arsenal on 22 April. Hart has no future at the Etihad Stadium and will meet City’s hierarchy to ascertain his next move.

Burnley’s Nick Pope, who was called up for the games against the Netherlands and Italy but remains uncapped, is expected to travel to Repino on 12 June as third-choice, in the hope he gains from the experience as Hart did at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, after a fine year in the team at Turf Moor. His club-mate, James Tarkowski, is on the stand-by list, with Southgate able to call on John Stones, Harry Maguire, Phil Jones, Kyle Walker or Eric Dier at centre-half if required.

While the inclusion of Chelsea’s Ruben Loftus-Cheek, so impressive