Thomas Tuchel included Ivan Toney in his World Cup squad after holding clear-the-air talks with the Al-Ahli striker regarding his attitude. The England head coach described Toney as a 'wildcard' selection, citing his power on set pieces and excellent penalty taking as key attributes for late-game scenarios.
Tuchel admitted he was not happy with Toney's commitment during the June camp, which limited his involvement to just two minutes against Senegal. However, after receiving a glowing reference from Al-Ahli manager Matthias Jaissle—a former player of Tuchel's at VfB Stuttgart—and considering how Harry Kane enjoys playing alongside Toney, the door was reopened.
'It was necessary that we talked with him again and clarified if he's happy to come,' Tuchel said at Wembley. 'Harry loves to play with him because he thinks Toney takes the attention off him.' Toney's role is expected to be as a finisher off the bench, part of a 'special operations team'.
Tuchel also addressed notable omissions, including Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, and Harry Maguire. Palmer 'just failed' to produce consistently, while Tuchel admitted he no longer knows Foden's best position. Maguire's social media reaction—declaring himself 'shocked and gutted'—was described as a 'surprise' and 'not necessary'.
The squad is built around the spirit shown after the 5-0 win over Serbia in September, where unused players performed running drills on a rundown pitch. Tuchel has retained 20 of the 23 players from that match, adding Nico O'Reilly, Kobbie Mainoo, and Toney. Luke Shaw, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Adam Wharton miss out.
