Harry Maguire has revealed the 'unique' and 'awkward' way Thomas Tuchel informed him that he would not be part of England's World Cup squad this summer. The Manchester United centre-back was omitted from the 26-man roster, with Tuchel selecting John Stones, Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa, Dan Burn, and Jarell Quansah instead.
While the decision was not entirely unexpected—Tuchel had rarely called upon Maguire and stated in March that four defenders were ahead of him in the pecking order—the 33-year-old was still shocked and upset. Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, Maguire explained that Tuchel delivered the news via FaceTime.
'He FaceTimed everyone. It was quite an awkward call,' Maguire said. 'I received a text saying can I speak to you about 4pm. It is quite a unique way of doing it and it must be quite hard because he can see everyone’s reactions.'
Maguire expressed his disappointment immediately: 'I said straightaway I was really disappointed. I thought I did enough to be in the squad and thought I could have helped and had a part to play on and off the pitch.' Tuchel responded by saying he could not offer an excuse but had chosen the four players who helped him through the autumn internationals.
The defender, who has 66 caps, admitted it was tough to take, especially after being selected for Tuchel's March camp and performing well. 'I did really well in both games and then went back to Manchester United and finished the season really strongly,' he said.
Maguire, now 33, acknowledged that the next World Cup in four years feels distant. 'I’m quite a big personality. I’m experienced and I was really disappointed. I wanted to go to the World Cup and play. I’m 33 now, 37 at the next World Cup — it looks far away. I wanted to go, not just play. I told the manager I wasn’t demanding to go and start the games. I would have been happy to play one minute as long as I’m there with the lads.'
It now appears Maguire has been overlooked again following an injury to full-back Tino Livramento. Instead of a like-for-like replacement, Tuchel is reportedly set to call up Chelsea centre-back Trevoh Chalobah, whom he previously ranked ahead of Maguire.
In March, Tuchel said: 'I see other players I like to start for us, I see other players ahead with a different profile. I see Ezri Konsa ahead, I see Marc Guehi ahead. It’s no secret. I see Trevoh Chalobah on the level of mobility was slightly ahead of him. Also John Stones, but he had injuries, so he needed to come to camp.'
