Gary Lineker has expressed surprise at several of Thomas Tuchel's selections for England's World Cup squad, particularly the 'baffling' omission of Lewis Hall. The Newcastle United defender was unexpectedly left out by Tuchel, who named his 26-man squad for the tournament in the United States.
Hall's Omission Baffles Lineker
Lineker found Hall's absence hard to understand, especially given the left-back's impressive season. 'It certainly surprised me, but everyone has their own view,' Lineker said on The Rest is Football podcast. 'I found Lewis Hall's omission hard to understand. He's been brilliant this season and was the only player I've really seen cope with Lamine Yamal.'
Manchester City's Nico O'Reilly is expected to be England's first-choice left-back, while Tuchel also selected Hall's Newcastle teammate Dan Burn and Tottenham's Djed Spence. Lineker noted Spence is more of a right-back, making Hall's exclusion puzzling.
Palmer and Maguire Also Overlooked
Lineker was also disappointed by the exclusion of Chelsea's Cole Palmer, who was the player of the tournament at the Club World Cup 12 months ago. 'Cole gives you something different; he's a moment player,' Lineker said. 'He's been injured, but showed sharpness in Chelsea's last few games.'
Harry Maguire was described as 'really unlucky' not to make the squad. 'Tuchel spoke highly of Dan Burn, but I suspected he wouldn't pick both,' Lineker added. 'Maguire has always played well at major tournaments and never let England down.'
Toney's Inclusion Surprising
Lineker was also surprised by Ivan Toney's inclusion, given the striker has spent the last two seasons in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ahli. 'That one came out of nowhere,' Lineker said. 'He's a good player, but I found it slightly surprising.'
England begin their World Cup campaign on June 17 against Croatia, followed by group matches against Ghana and Panama.
