Thomas Tuchel has said he was “surprised” by Harry Maguire’s decision to post a statement on social media after the England manager had called the Manchester United defender to break the news of his World Cup omission.
Tuchel selected Manchester City pair Marc Guehi and John Stones, along with Aston Villa’s Ezra Konsa, Newcastle United’s Dan Burn, and Bayer Leverkusen’s Jarell Quansah as his five centre-back options for the 2026 World Cup in North America. Maguire enjoyed a strong season for Manchester United and was rewarded in March with a long-awaited recall to the international stage. However, he could not displace any of his rivals in the World Cup squad, and the defender confirmed his omission in a social media statement.
“I was confident I could of [sic] played a major part this summer for my country after the season I’ve had,” Maguire tweeted. “I’ve been left shocked and gutted by the decision. I’ve loved nothing more than putting that shirt on and representing my country over the years. I wish the players all the best this summer.”
Asked whether he was surprised by Maguire’s decision to go public after their conversation, and before England had officially announced their squad, Tuchel replied: “I was a bit surprised, but I respect his personality a lot. I respect his quality a lot. He had an outstanding season. I can see the disappointment. I can see the reason behind the disappointment.
“Still, I was a bit surprised, because we had a private conversation in which he had the chance to express his feelings, which he did. This is fair enough, because I can see all the reasons why he could be in the squad, but the decision is that we stood firmly with our central defenders that carried us through September, October, November. Some of them are part of the leadership group that took ownership and set the standards high.”
England are in Group L with Croatia, Ghana, and Panama and will begin their campaign against the Croatians in Dallas on 17 June.
