Harry Maguire left out of England’s World Cup squad (Image: Getty)
Harry Maguire’s decision to publicly announce his “shock” at being left out of the England squad perhaps explains why Thomas Tuchel will not bring him to the World Cup. Maguire has had a few decent games for Manchester United and believes he could be in the squad for the national team.
How many of the excluded players who feel they should be in the team will say something that basically criticizes Tuchel’s decision? none. And other players, such as Phil Foden and Cole Palmer, may have more legitimate reasons to express their anger than Maguire. Why does Maguire need to be “shocked”? It took a year for Tuchel to be selected for the team. In his first international match under Tuchel, he had a middling performance in a match England were forced to draw against Uruguay at Wembley.
He then played a few minutes in the loss against Japan. Tuchel closely watched Maguire during training and decided he would be better off with another centre-half. fair enough. And judging by Maguire’s reaction, he preferred others with smaller egos.
This is a bold decision for Tuchel, knowing that Maguire’s invitation had considerable fan support. But that’s what’s paying him a lot of money. Make bold decisions.
And choosing Ivan Toni is a bold decision, but a good one. Tony made a decisive impact in the last edition of the tournament, scoring 42 goals and providing 10 assists this season for his Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahly.
He is a perfect penalty taker and that can’t be underestimated in a World Cup where we expect a lot of drawn games. He has converted 47 of the 50 penalties he has taken in his career, including 20 of 21 in Saudi Arabia.
Palmer was huge at Euro 2024, but it was painful to watch him struggle to maintain his form at Chelsea. The players just need to find some form, and Palmer has contributed one goal in the last 16 games.
Of the two super talented players who will be left out, Foden will be the most disappointed.
Harry Maguire said he was ‘shocked’ not to be called up (Image: Getty)
After the season so far, he was confident that he could play a big role for his country this summer. I was shocked and devastated by the decision.
Over the years, I have loved nothing more than wearing that shirt and representing my country.
I hope all the players are safe… pic.twitter.com/9X7asAkCFF
— Harry Maguire (@HarryMaguire93) May 21, 2026
Yes, he is also striving for his best form, but he has found his chances at the club limited by the likes of Rayan Cherki and other talented players in a competitive Manchester City squad, and his recent assist in the win against Crystal Palace suggests that magic is not far away.
He may consider himself unlucky, especially since one of the spots is occupied by Jordan Henderson. The Brentford midfielder has a different role, but realistically he is there as a motivator and as an enforcer on the training ground. Do international teams really need them?
Henderson’s arrival also means there will be no place for Adam Wharton, whose lack of appearances for England remains a bit puzzling.
There are other calls that are borderline. Many would have chosen Trent Alexander-Arnold, but it was known that Tuchel was not a big fan of Real Madrid’s full-back. And the same goes for Luke Shaw.
Dan Byrne is a somewhat controversial selection, but Tuchel has taken him to several camps and clearly likes what he sees and hears and clearly values him as an asset to the team as a whole.
The bottom line is that while Tuchel cannot be praised for his track record and outspokenness as a manager, he cannot be criticized for making one or two bold selection decisions.
He may have upset some people, but unfortunately that’s the nature of this gig. Some of us were against his appointment from the beginning, but now it’s time to trust Thomas.
Sign up now for the Make Football Great Again newsletter and get the latest World Cup news straight to your inbox!
