Thomas Tuchel has made a series of shock selections for England's World Cup squad, omitting Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Harry Maguire, while recalling Ivan Toney. The 26-man party will be announced at Wembley on Friday morning, with Tuchel spending Thursday evening informing players of their fate.
Maguire was the first to publicly confirm his exclusion, posting on social media: '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.' His mother, Zoe, responded with 'Disgraceful' and 'Absolute disgusted' in separate posts. Maguire, who has 66 caps, missed the last Euros through injury but has enjoyed a resurgence this season.
Foden and Palmer have endured underwhelming seasons for Manchester City and Chelsea respectively, falling behind other No. 10s. The attacking slots will be filled by Jude Bellingham, Eberechi Eze and Morgan Rogers, with Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke expected on the right, and Marcus Rashford and Anthony Gordon on the left. Morgan Gibbs-White is also likely to miss out.
Tuchel has turned to Toney for the first time in 12 months. The former Brentford striker, now at Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia, was part of England's Euro 2024 squad but has not played since June. He will provide cover for Harry Kane, alongside Ollie Watkins. Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Dominic Solanke and Danny Welbeck have not done enough.
In defence, Tuchel is set to pick Marc Guéhi, Dan Burn, Ezri Konsa, Jarell Quansah and John Stones. Levi Colwill and Trevoh Chalobah miss out, while Luke Shaw is also omitted. Tino Livramento and Djed Spence are included despite injury concerns, with Nico O'Reilly expected at left-back. Trent Alexander-Arnold, not picked since last June, has not been recalled, and James Garner appears to have missed out.
Kobbie Mainoo is also absent, while Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton has failed to convince Tuchel. The squad will gather next Monday for a pre-tournament training camp in Florida.
