Introducing the 2025 British & Irish Football Lions! Harry Kane up top but John McGinn as captain of GOAL's all-star selection from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales?

We have to be honest here: this is not a vintage era for British and Irish goalkeepers.

However, Jordan Pickford has rarely let either England or Everton down, so he's the leading candidate for the No.1 jersey. And who better than Caoimhin Kelleher, "the best No.2 in the world", to serve as his understudy?

The Irishman could even end up putting some serious pressure on Pickford, given only now is he set to get regular game time in the Premier League with Brentford after doing an outstanding job every single time he deputised for Alisson Becker at Liverpool.

One of the strongest areas of the squad. England alone have a plethora of options at right-back but Trent Alexander-Arnold offers more than any of his rivals in terms of versatility, creativity and set-piece prowess, so Real Madrid's new signing gets the nod ahead of the likes of Reece James. However, there's also room in the squad for Liverpool's Conor Bradley, the 22-year-old Northern Irishman who emerged as an excellent alternative to Alexander-Arnold at Anfield last season.

As for the opposite flank, Myles Lewis-Skelly undeniably remains a raw talent but he's also one of the most exciting young left-backs in the Premier League right now. The Arsenal teenager would also benefit enormously from working alongside Scotland skipper Andy Robertson. The Liverpool legend may be showing signs of wear and tear but his experience, tenacity and positivity would prove invaluable to the touring party, making him a serious contender to start.

Just like the goalkeeping department, the centre-back cupboard is pretty bare. Still, Chelsea's Levi Colwill has serious potential and while England manager Thomas Tuchel doesn't appear to have much faith in Crystal Palace's much-coveted Marc Guehi, we were hugely impressed with his performances at Euro 2024.

Elsewhere, Nathan Collins is the most aerially dominant defender in the Premier League, winning more headers than any other player last season - while at the same time racking up more minutes than any other outfield player - which is testament to both his durability and his importance to Brentford.

We've also called upon the services of another Irishman in Jake O'Brien. Just as Colwill could provide additional cover at left-back, the Everton man could fill in at right-back if required.

Declan Rice is an obvious pick. As well as being one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, he'd also be the most well-known player within the squad, given the England international used to be Irish.

Ridiculously talented trio Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer and Phil Foden are also shoo-ins, even if it's been made abundantly clear over the past year or so that it's impossible to fit them all into the same 11.

Consequently, there could easily be a spot in the starting line-up for either Scott McTominay or John McGinn.

The former was voted Serie A's MVP last season after revelling in a more advanced role under Antonio Conte at Napoli and he's capable of playing as an attacking midfielder or on the left-hand side of a three.

Meanwhile, fellow Scot McGinn is coming off the most prolific campaign of his Aston Villa career and his ferocious fighting spirit would make him an ideal Lions captain.

As the one world-class No.9 to choose from, Harry Kane would undoubtedly be tasked with spearheading the Lions attack. Indeed, there's a startling lack of quality strikers among the British and Irish sides right now, with even Evan Ferguson struggling to live up to the hype he generated as a teenager.

Of course, England aren't exactly flush with centre-forwards themselves, which is why they remain so reliant on a 31-year-old Kane, but Ollie Watkins has provided cover for the Three Lions captain in the past - and could do so again here.

Out wide, the inclusion of Bukayo Saka is a no-brainer and Wales flier Brennan Johnson would make for an excellent back-up for Arsenal's right winger, leaving Anthony Gordon and Eberechi Eze to compete for the sole remaining spot on the left-hand side of the attack.

Thomas Tuchel (England), Steve Clarke (Scotland), Michael O'Neill (Northern Ireland), Craig Bellamy (Wales) and Heimir Hallgrimsson (Republic of Ireland) would obviously be all in the running for the honour of leading the Lions. 

However, there's nothing in the rule book that says that the job has to go to one of the current coaches of the nations involved, meaning there's a strong case to be made for someone like David Moyes.

In all honesty, though, we'd love to see Lee Carsley land the role. The very likeable and highly respected Brummie is a former Republic of Ireland international who's done a sensational job with England's Under-21s, winning back-to-back Euros - and with an attractive style of play.  

Carsley just seems to be a unifying force that is ideally suited to tournament football, so this very particular assignment would be right up his alley.

THE 2025 BRITISH & IRISH FOOTBALL LIONS:

Goalkeepers (2): Jordan Pickford (Eng), Caoimhin Kelleher (RoI).

Defenders (8): Trent Alexander-Arnold (Eng), Conor Bradley (NI), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Eng), Andy Robertson (Sco); Levi Colwill (Eng), Jake O'Brien (RoI), Marc Guehi (Eng), Nathan Collins (RoI).

Midfielders (6): Declan Rice (Eng), Jude Bellingham (Eng), Cole Palmer (Eng), Phil Foden (Eng), Scott McTominay (Sco), John McGinn (Sco).

Forwards (6): Harry Kane (Eng), Ollie Watkins (Eng), Bukayo Saka (Eng), Anthony Gordon (Eng), Eberechi Eze (Eng), Brennan Johnson (Wal).

Coach: Lee Carsley