Harry Maguire returns to the England squad for friendlies against Uruguay and Japan after his impressive performances for Manchester United, and manager Thomas Tuchel explains his thoughts on the move
Harry Maguire shares a shot of his World Cup squad (Image: Mark Cosgrove/Getty Images)
Harry Maguire has made a remarkable career comeback with his recall from the England squad. Manchester United veteran Maguire, 33, has not played for England for nearly two years and was sent out cold at Old Trafford before returning under manager Michael Carrick.
But Maguire, who has played a crucial role in the past two World Cups, is part of an unprecedented 35-man squad for the Wembley friendly against Uruguay and two games against Japan on March 27 and 31 respectively. It’s a novel idea from manager Thomas Tuchel, giving the likes of Harry Kane and Declan Rice the first week off, but it will give Maguire a chance to showcase his talent as well as being a good tourist.
England manager Tuchel actually pointed to Maguire’s aerial ability in both boxes as a “super strength” ahead of the World Cup, which will be played in sweltering heat and where set-pieces will be all-important.
“Harry has just played very solid football, with a slightly different approach to ours, so it will be very interesting to see how quickly he can adapt to a different defensive style and style of defensive set-up. And he’s playing very solid football at a high level in a team that is currently very successful. And he’s very strong in defending the box and attacking inside the box, as well as set-pieces and crosses,” Tuchel said.
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“I just want to get to know him, use the momentum and see how he can adapt to our defensive style. And then we’ll see within the group whether to take him to the World Cup or not and make a decision in May, because, like I said, in addition to that, he has super strength in defense and attack with his head.”
“It’s interesting how we’re going to build the group. I want to arrive with a strong group, and I want to be absolutely sure that we’re a group that can have fun together for weeks and weeks. That we have the right energy, we have the right chemistry.”
Maguire has not played for England since 2024 (Image: Michael Regan/The FA via Getty Images)
The same goes for Maguire’s teammate Koby Mainu. A key player for England at the last Euros, he was forgotten under former manager Ruben Amorim, but is back again. Tuchel said: “He has contributed to a huge turnaround in Manchester United’s results and energy. I think he has started every game under manager Michael Carrick. Everyone at the FA, the players he played with in the tournament, are full of praise, so it’s time to find out.” he.
“Personally, I think he’s still at a stage where he hasn’t played for that long and isn’t playing football. I think his real strength is yet to come.”
United’s players haven’t actually played that much time as they haven’t been in Europe and were pulled out of domestic cup competitions early on. But the demands from players at Arsenal, Manchester City, Newcastle and Aston Villa are huge. This explains Tuchel’s decision to name 35 players, although 11 will not actually be reported until the end of next week.
They are Dean Henderson, Dan Byrne, Mark Guehi, Ezri Konsa, Nico O’Reilly, Elliot Anderson, Rice, Morgan Rodgers, Anthony Gordon, Kane and Bukayo Saka. They have all played over 3,500 minutes.
Manager Thomas Tuchel selects 35 players for March’s national team (Image: Getty Images)
But that means at least nine people will go home. Tuchel refused to reveal who would leave camp, saying they had been told, but said any of them could change his mind.
Call-ups for Dom Solanke and Dominic Calvert-Lewin are eye-catching, while James Garner has been nominated as he can play at right-back and midfield. Tuchel said: “I would never say it’s A and B… But at the moment these players have more trust for me than other players. I think it’s clearer to name them. I understand the risks.”
“They may be disappointed on Saturday, but they have enough time to digest it now. Their reactions were all there. They were very happy to come. They have had a fully focused, streamlined four days and have the best support from the coaching staff.”
“I feel that the club is not in a position to rest players at the moment. I have never rested players for the national team. That is the reality and it is normal. They have a decisive game coming up.
“If we had two qualifying games, we wouldn’t rest anyone. I would definitely put our priorities at the top of the list. We wouldn’t gamble on that. We would all go into camp and play against the strongest teams in both qualifying games.”
“But we have the qualifications, we have the friendlies, it changes the situation and gives the players a chance to rest mentally and physically.”
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