Gary Lineker has insisted that Lewis Hall deserved a place in Thomas Tuchel's England squad for this summer's World Cup. Hall, 21, earned two caps under Tuchel during March's international friendlies against Uruguay and Japan, off the back of another impressive campaign at Newcastle United. Those outings represented his third and fourth senior appearances for the Three Lions, having previously featured under Lee Carsley in the Nations League in 2024.
Tuchel's Controversial Selection
Despite Hall's form, Tuchel overlooked him when naming his 26-man squad for the United States, opting instead for Tottenham's Djed Spence, Newcastle teammate Tino Livramento and Manchester City's Nico O'Reilly as his left-back options. Hall was not the only notable absentee, with Luke Shaw also failing to make the cut.
Lineker's Verdict
Former England forward Lineker made no secret of his belief that Hall was harshly treated, going as far as to describe the Newcastle man as the "best left-back" not heading to the World Cup. Lineker said: "I think the best left-back has not been picked: Lewis Hall. It's fair to say at this point we would all pick different squads, it's one person's opinion and that's what counts. But there are certain players in there that I think have been hard done by, Lewis Hall for me."
He added: "He talks about Djed Spence because he is the quickest and he can play on that side as well and chase back. Did he see Lewis Hall against Yamal? He didn't give him a kick. He's been really unlucky. Elsewhere I think Harry Maguire would have been another one possibly."
Lineker's Previous Criticism
Lineker's remarks come two years after he branded England "s***" following a 1-1 draw against Denmark in the group stage at Euro 2024. The Three Lions salvaged a point against the Danes in Frankfurt as Harry Kane's first-half opener was cancelled out by a stunning strike from Morten Hjulmand. In truth, it was a dismal display from the Three Lions, and Lineker tore into England's performance after the final whistle, while hinting that then-manager Gareth Southgate is "tactically inept".
"I mean, you can think of all sorts of words and expletives if you like, but it was s***", Lineker said on his Rest is Football podcast. "Was it tactically inept? It's really hard to be critical of Gareth Southgate because, overall in the England role, he's turned England's fortunes around in many ways. Having said that, he's kind of ended up adopting a really talented bunch of players. We've done a semi-final of a World Cup final, a final at the European Championship, quarter-final of the subsequent World Cup where, to be honest, we were a little bit unlucky."
England's World Cup Campaign
England went on to suffer defeat in the Euro 2024 final against Spain and are desperate for another opportunity to end their 60-year wait for silverware by clinching the World Cup this summer. They get their campaign underway against Croatia on Wednesday, June 17, before taking on Ghana six days later and rounding off their group stage fixtures against Panama.
