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Bitterly disappointed Soccer Aid fans react as they realise Jonathan Wilkes won’t be playing

Published 12:04 9 Jun 2018 BST

Simon Lloyd
Bitterly disappointed Soccer Aid fans react as they realise Jonathan Wilkes won’t be playing

Homesport

It's that time once again

With a major football tournament looming, another England team are preparing to take on a Rest of the World XI - all in the name of charity. 12 years on from the first ever Soccer Aid, Sam Allardyce takes charge of an England side made up of ex-pros and celebrities for a special match at Old Trafford. As ever, all money raised will be going to UNICEF. Robbie Williams, the man responsible for organising the event, will captain the England side and is also part of the team's management. However, as is usually the case, his close friend Jonathan Wilkes will not feature in this year's game - a point that many who will be watching have only just realised... https://twitter.com/gaztommo1/status/1004685449305251840 https://twitter.com/JackMaleham7/status/1005190713229922310 https://twitter.com/SamTheCaptain_/status/1005392390847385600 https://twitter.com/EddieSideburns/status/1005391277750411264 https://twitter.com/GaryBolton91/status/1005385926502244353 https://twitter.com/ScottishKits/status/1004861082039672832 https://twitter.com/Mikey_Smith/status/1004715784986398720 Disappointing news, we're sure you'll agree. [caption id="attachment_183196" align="alignnone" width="931"] A true footballing legend and Diego Maradona[/caption] Wilkes actually made clear he wouldn't be taking part in this year's event a few weeks back and, after close inspection of his Twitter feed (#journalism), appears to be spending his time on a cruise ship. https://twitter.com/Jonny_Wilkes/status/1001912477599363072 Without their talisman, Allardyce has instead called on the likes of former Olympian Sir Mo Farah, comediand Paddy McGuiness and former cricketer Freddie Flintoff. David Seaman, Wes Brown and Jamie Redknapp are amongst the ex-professionals in the England team. As for the Rest of the World, they'll be fielding Clarence Seedorf, Eric Cantona and Yaya Toure. Sprinting legend Usain Bolt will also be amongst their team. The game kicks off at 8pm on Sunday, with tickets still available from manutd.com.

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Bitterly disappointed Soccer Aid fans react as they realise Jonathan Wilkes won't be playing