Paul Gascoigne was last night sensationally axed from the World Cup by England coach Glenn Hoddle.

Hoddle had been expected to be planning his whole World Cup strategy around the talents of the Middlesbrough player.

But tonight came the stunning news that Gascoigne had been left out of England's World Cup 22 because of his poor state of fitness.

The other players dropped by Hoddle were Tottenham goalkeeper Ian Walker, the Manchester United pair of Phil Neville and Nicky Butt, injured Sheffield Wednesday defender Andy Hinchcliffe and Coventry skipper Dion Dublin.

Hoddle personally gave the bad news to the sad sextet at the luxury Regency Hyatt Hotel here in La Manga where the squad has spent the last week apart from the short visit to Morocco for the games on Wednesday and Friday nights.

Even so it seemed inconceivable that Hoddle would ditch Gascoigne if he was anywhere near fit, with the 31year-old having shown himself to be arguably the one England player with the ability and vision to create opportunities against top-level international opposition.

Even though the explosive pace of his early years had gone, there were still sublime moments, glimpses of the old Gazza.

But Hoddle's decision proves that they were simply not enough for him to convince the England coach that he was ready for the demands of a gruelling World Cup campaign.

The absence of Gascoigne will doubtless set the country talking but the rest of Hoddle's selection threw up a mass of surprises.

Almost every pundit had expected that one if not both of the Ferdinand cousins would be omitted.

Hoddle's selection threw up several surprises, not least the inclusion of both Ferdinands, Les and Rio, the former included because of Ian Wright's injury and ahead of Dion Dublin. The omission of Phil Neville and the injury to Andy Hinchcliffe last Thursday now means that Hoddle has included only one leftsided wingback in the squad, Graeme Le Saux.

Of the 22, Paul Merson and Newcastle's Rob Lee - one of the victims of Terry Venables' Euro '96 - had featured on most lists of the men who would not make it.

However, Merson was been in inspired form at Middlesbrough last season and Hoddle clearly reckoned the former Arsenal's man's fitness and creative vision were better at this stage than those of his more famous Riverside team-mate. Also in are enigmatic Liverpool winger Steve McManaman and utility player Rob Lee of Newcastle United, who many had thought would not survive the cut. The coach is due to explain the reasons for his decisions at a news conference at lunchtime today when the fate of Gascoigne is absolutely certain to be on top of the agenda.

The Squad

David Seaman - (Arsenal)

Tim Flowers - (Blackburn)

Nigel Martyn - (Leeds)

Sol Campbell - (Tottenham)

Tony Adams - (Arsenal)

Martin Keown - (Arsenal)

Rio Ferdinand - (West Ham)

Gareth Southgate - (Aston Villa)

Gary Neville - (Man Utd)

Darren Anderton - (Tottenham)

David Beckham - (Man Utd)

Graeme Le Saux - (Chelsea)

Robert Lee - (Newcastle)

Steve McManaman - (Liverpool)

Paul Ince - (Liverpool)

David Batty - (Newcastle)

Paul Merson - (Middlesbrough)

Paul Scholes - (Man Utd)

Les Ferdinand - (Tottenham)

Alan Shearer - (Newcastle)

Teddy Sheringham - (Man Utd)

Michael Owen - (Liverpool).

Left out: Paul Gascoigne (Middlesbrough), Ian Walker (Tottenham), Phil Neville (Man Utd), Nicky Butt (Man Utd), Andy Hinchcliffe (Sheffield Wednesday), Dion Dublin (Coventry).