England boss Thomas Tuchel has begun making the phone calls as he prepares to name his 26-man World Cup squad, with Phil Foden and Luke Shaw among those expected to miss out
England manager Thomas Tuchel began making phone calls 48 hours before he named his World Cup squad, with Manchester City star Phil Foden and Manchester United defenders Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire out of the team. The England manager tackled the difficult conversations first, before ringing the 26 fortunate players to inform them they had made the cut.
Foden and Cole Palmer arguably represent the most notable absentees from the full squad. Trent Alexander-Arnold is similarly expected to be left out. Manchester United defender Maguire was among those to receive the unwelcome news, in what amounts to a devastating blow that effectively signals the end of the 34-year-old’s international career.
This outcome was hardly a surprise, given that back in March, Tuchel made it abundantly clear that Maguire ranked effectively sixth in the pecking order, behind the likes of John Stones, Ezri Konsa, Marc Guehi, Trevoh Chalobah and Dan Burn, while Levi Colwill, who had recently returned to the fold, is also anticipated to miss out.
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Maguire said: “I was confident I could have played a major part this summer for my country after the season I’ve had. I’ve been left shocked and gutted by the decision. I wish the players all the best.”
Fikayo Tomori has been informed he will not feature, and Shaw is likewise not expected to progress from the initial 55-man pool into the final 26-man squad. Ivan Toney is hopeful of securing one of three striker berths in the squad, while Jordan Henderson and Ollie Watkins are also fighting for their places.
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These are the defining selections, with players bracing themselves for either heartbreak or elation when Tuchel unveils his squad on Friday. The Football Association are unveiling the squad through their new app with Daniel Sturridge and Theo Walcott hosting proceedings.
England manager Tuchel will then reveal his selections for those heading to the United States on June 1 for the Florida training camp initially, before moving on to Kansas City to prepare for their Group matches against Croatia, Ghana and Panama.
Tuchel is monitoring the fitness of crucial players and faces a dilemma at right back because Ben White would almost certainly have been selected to provide cover for Reece James, but now England must wait on Tino Livramento.
Jarell Quansah appears a certainty as he’s capable of operating at right-back and centre-back, while Colwill has returned at the perfect moment after catching Tuchel’s eye with his performance in the FA Cup final. City defender Stones has received guarantees that he’ll be included despite limited playing time for his club.
Brentford midfielder Henderson finds himself in a similar position and offers experience, while Tuchel even stated in March he didn’t need to assess Newcastle defender Burn because he understood what he offered.
Tuchel possesses an abundance of options in midfield with numerous creative players like Foden, Palmer and Eberechi Eze. They cannot all be selected but Tuchel has made clear his intention to include three strikers and evidently Harry Kane, the captain, talisman and record goalscorer is guaranteed his place, leaving two remaining spots.
Aston Villa striker Watkins was omitted in March but has been in outstanding form since and will surely be included. It is understood that Tuchel, following the second of the two March friendlies against Japan, held an exhaustive and lengthy meeting with coaches Anthony Barry and Justin Cochrane.
The trio concluded that they needed to reassess and potentially cast their net beyond the 35-man squad that faced Japan and Uruguay.
Bukayo Saka was notably absent through injury, while Noni Madueke anticipates his place in the squad alongside him. Foden was handed his opportunity – and failed to grasp it.
At that stage, Tuchel had been considering deploying two forwards alongside a false nine – with Foden, Palmer and Jude Bellingham all capable of filling that role – but the idea was reconsidered.
A return for former Brentford striker Toney had appeared highly unlikely, given that Tuchel has yet to travel to Saudi Arabia to watch him in action.
However, a change of heart has since emerged, with Toney coming back into consideration alongside a fresh look at Danny Welbeck and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
With Dom Solanke ruled out through injury, Toney has re-entered the frame despite his last England appearance coming as a late substitute against Senegal a year ago.
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