The Premier League season so far has been an enthralling one full of unpredictability as we pass the halfway stage.

Who would have called Arsenal leading the table and reaching 50 points after 19 games with the potential to open up an eight-point gap on Manchester City? Who saw Newcastle United having the best defence in the league and battling for Champions League spots? And finally, who saw the disastrous seasons of Liverpool and Chelsea coming?

This is just to name a few of the surprises so far this season and now Alan Shearer has thrown another into the mix as he has left Marcus Rashford out of his Team of the Season so far.

Alan Shearer's Team of the Season so far

As per The Athletic, the former Newcastle man and record Premier League goalscorer has selected a team of Nick Pope (Newcastle) in goal, a defence of Kieran Trippier (Newcastle), William Saliba (Arsenal), Fabian Schar (Newcastle) and Dan Burn (Newcastle), a midfield of Casemiro (Manchester United), Martin Odegaard (Arsenal) and Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), and an attack comprising of Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Harry Kane (Tottenham) and Erling Haaland (Manchester City).

Now, there is no doubt that all of these players on this list are worthy inclusions, but as is often the case, it is the names that Shearer has left out that have really upset people.

Haaland, Kane, De Bruyne, no Rashford: Alan Shearer's PL Team of the Season so far

Notable exclusions in Shearer's TOTS so far

Some of the biggest names to miss out are the likes of Oleksandr Zinchenko (Arsenal), Thomas Partey (Arsenal), Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle), Rodri (Manchester City) and of course, Marcus Rashford (Manchester United).

Shearer’s 11 means that despite Arsenal leading the table, Newcastle are in fact the most represented team with four players. Of course, Shearer is a Newcastle fan and icon and no one can argue with how magnificent they have been defensively, but Dan Burn getting in over the likes of Zinchenko or Luke Shaw at left-back does seem a slight surprise. That is not to say that Dan Burn hasn’t been excellent, more that the other two have arguably been even better.

Another perhaps controversial pick is that of Casemiro in defensive midfield. His resume speaks for itself having won five Champions Leagues with Real Madrid and no doubt he has brought a steel to Manchester United, but you could equally make a case for Thomas Partey. When Partey isn’t fit, the Arsenal midfield is much weaker as became clear towards the end of last season as the Gunners faded upon his injury against Crystal Palace. As Casemiro is at United, Partey is the glue that holds Arsenal together.

Equally, Rodri has once again this season shown why he is one of the best holding midfielders in the world and could have also been in with a shout.

Finally, the biggest controversy of the lot is the omission of Marcus Rashford from the team.

The winger/striker has been in the form of his career with 10 goals and three assists in the league so far this season. His performances are much of the reason a resurgent United find themselves third in the league so far.

As to who Rashford would replace in the starting 11 is a tricky question in itself given the performances of the three included, but if you were to swap him in for one of them then nobody could really complain.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 18: Scott McTominay of Manchester United runs with the ball during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Manchester United at Selhurst Park on January 18, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

In the team itself, Haaland is oddly positioned on the left-wing, although Shearer can be given some leeway here as the Team of the Season is usually allowed more positional flexibility than a traditional starting 11.

Unsurprisingly with a Team of the Season selection, Shearer has upset plenty of fans with his choices, all of whom will vehemently defend their club’s players to the bitter end.

That said, although leaving out the likes Marcus Rashford is deeply controversial, all of those included by Shearer have performed fantastically well so far this season.

However, you’d imagine the team could still look very different come the end of the season in May. There’s still a lot of football to be played with the title, European places and relegation all to be decided.

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