It was a shock to just about every football fan in the country ... but also to former Newcastle striker Michael Owen ... who says he has not given up hope of playing for England again.
Owen has only started two of Manchester United's 10 games this season, but he believes he is as good as some that are getting their chance at international level.
The 30-year-old's last appearance for the Three Lions came as a substitute in a 1-0 defeat to France in March 2008.
Michael Owen (talking to the Daily Mirror): "Unfortunately you can't say a lot of the things you believe about some of the players who are in the squad, because it will come out the wrong way and be misinterpreted.
"I haven't resigned myself to never playing for England again.
"But I'm not stupid enough to get myself worked up before every squad's announced and then go 'oh no, the world's caved in and I'm not in it again'.
"Everyone deals with things in different ways. The first time I wasn't named in the squad I was really gutted. The second time I was pretty gutted, the next time I was just gutted and so on.
"People deal with knockbacks in life, whatever they may be, in different ways. You build up a protective mechanism so it won't hurt you.
"If someone punches you on the nose, it hurts, so the next time it happens you'll put your hands up or you expect it's coming, so you soften the blow.
"It's like that with England. It hurt to start with, it hurt a little bit less the second time, and now it doesn't hurt as much. But that doesn't mean I've given up.
"I'd love to play for my country again, but I don't look out for the squad expecting my name to be in it, unless someone phones me to tell me otherwise."