World Cup missing XI: The best players not going to Qatar

The World Cup this year will not involve a number of stars who did not make it to the Middle East with their national teams at all.

What would a squad of those players look like with one the best striker in the world, Erling Haaland? Let's take a look!

Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Jan Oblak)

Donnarumma has been in unshakeable form at PSG and he is currently one of the best goalkeepers in the world.

The number one of the Italian national team would surely be among the candidates for the best goalkeeper of the World Cup, and at the last European Championships, he was an integral part of the golden success of Squadra Azzurra.

There would be no weakness between the sticks for this team even if Donnarumma's form deteriorated. 

His replacement is Jan Oblak, who has long been among the world's elite. He is proving his performance regularly in the Atlético Madrid jersey. However, he will hardly see the top tournaments with the Slovenian national team.

Right-back: Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Juan Cuadrado)

Just like the whole team in Naples, Giovanni Di Lorenzo is having a great season and has become indispensable for for the Serie A leaders and he is just the same for his national side.

He hasn't missed a single game for Napoli since the start of the season and rarely fails to play the full 90 minutes.

If we need a more attacking replacement we can turn to the Colombian from Juventus. Juan Cuadrado has transformed himself from a winger to a defender or wing-back in recent years.

His speed and ability to handle one-on-one battles will be especially missed in Qatar.

Right centre-back: Milan Skriniar (Leonardo Bonucci)

There may be no more desirable stopper in the football world. Milan Skriniar is on the radar of PSG and Manchester United, but Inter Milan don't want to hear a word about his departure.

The Slovakian footballer is tough and has great playmaking skills, rightly ranking among the best modern defenders not only in Italy.

Option number two? Experience alone. Leonardo Bonucci has long been a mainstay of Juventus and the Italian national team, often impressing at club and international level with millimetre precision passes from afar.

Left centre-back: David Alaba (Francesco Acerbi)

After everything he could win with Bayern Munich, David Alaba is chasing new adventures with Real Madrid. His CV, includes 10 Bundesliga titles, one LaLiga title and he has lifted the Champions League trophy three times.

His versatility and therefore ability to slot in on the left or in the middle of defence or midfield is a huge advantage.

If Alaba should happen to fail, the defensive line would be reinforced by the highly experienced Francesco Acerbi, who has firmly established himself in the Inter Milan line-up, who advanced from the Champions League group stage at the expense of Barcelona.

Left-back: Andrew Robertson (Oleksandr Zinchenko)

Perhaps no better left back in the UK, Andy Robertson is one of Liverpool's most important players and is hailed by many as the best player at his position in the Premier League.

The Scotsman, who doesn't back down from any fight and is very happy to support the offensive line, didn't make it through to the World Cup after bowing out in the play-offs.

Nor would Oleksandr Zinchenko, who swapped Manchester City for Arsenal in the summer and is one of the important links in the line-up of the current Premier League leaders under Mikel Arteta.

The Ukrainian's great technique and great versatility has been on show throughout the campaign and for Ukraine you can sometimes find him in midfield because of his skills rather than at left-back.

Right centre midfield: Marco Verratti (Jorginho)

The position of right midfielder, which would be more of a defensive role in the team, was filled by Italians. Both Marco Verratti and Jorginho have been amongst the best players in their position in recent years.

The former has been one of PSG's mainstays for many years, while the latter has been one of the main architects of Chelsea's recent success. Moreover, if it comes to a penalty shootout, the ex-Napoli midfielder is almost 100 per cent reliable.

And in the case of Verratti, you can be sure that he will not miss a second on the pitch.

Left centre midfield: Martin Odegaard (Dominik Szoboszlai)

The midfield also needs a touch of creativity, which the Italian duo both have, but in the case of Martin Odegaard we have a special touch of added value.

The Norwegian maestro, who was given the captain's armband at Arsenal, has grown into a huge player in the British capital. From a very promising teenager, who transferred to Real Madrid at just 16, he is a ready-made footballer who can achieve a lot with the Norwegian national team in the future.

And in a similar vein is Hungary's Dominik Szoboszlai, who is making his presence known in an RB Leipzig jersey.

If you put a wall in front of either of them, rest assured they could handle it - you could trust both of them with any set play situation.

Right wing: Mohamed Salah (Miguel Almiron)

The Egyptian King, Mohamed Salah, can't be left out. The Liverpool star has been one of the candidates for the Ballon d'Or in recent years. His record of 23 goals and 13 assists in 35 Premier League games last season speaks for itself.

And if by any chance it doesn't work for Salah, Miguel Almiron would be a great choice. The Paraguayan is in incredible form for Newcastle United, managing eight goals in 14 Premier League games, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a more dangerous winger in the country at the moment.

Left wing: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Dejan Kulusevski)

Choosing from the World Cup this summer, the left wing position in our team would definitely not have gone to Georgia.

Their new star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has charmed Naples so much that he has earned the nickname 'Kvaradona'.

He was picked up for a bargain and he has strengthened the Scudetto contenders Napoli so much that he is now turning heads around the world.

Should the coach opt for a number two, he could do worse than the Tottenham winger, Sweden's Dejan Kulusevski.

He flew into the Premier League in style last season - 18 games, five goals and eight assists. He is currently nursing an injury and is slowly returning to the Spurs lineup.

Right forward: Victor Osimhen (Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang)

The third player from Naples in this team, Victor Osimhen has impressive numbers this season. The Nigerian has managed to score nine goals in 11 Serie A games and set up two more for his teammates. He has also scored one goal in three Champions League matches.

If the speedy sniper, who has surpassed the 10-goal mark every season in southern Italy were not in form, the choice would fall on the experienced Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has returned to London but swapped red for blue.

He hasn't put on a great show in a Chelsea jersey yet, but the Gabon captain's experience would be invaluable in an otherwise young attack.

Left forward: Erling Haaland (Benjemin Sesko)

Quite possibly the biggest star of our time, Erling Haaland is a phenomenon that amazes the football world week after week. He moved from Dortmund to Manchester City in the summer and has managed an incredible 23 goals in 17 games in the Premier League and Champions League.

The goal machine will surely be a favourite to win the next Ballon d'Or. 

And if by chance his gunpowder runs dry, a younger version of him will step in. Benjamin Sesko, another creation of the Red Bull Salzburg academy, is headed to Leipzig after this season, where he will fully show what a tremendous talent Slovenian football has been hiding until now.