Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has shared insights on how England coach, Thomas Tuchel communicated his exclusion from his 26-man squad for the FIFA World Cup.
The 33-year-old revealed that Tuchel reached out to the players who were not selected via FaceTime.
In making the tough decisions regarding his final squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Tuchel overlooked several prominent players, including Harry Maguire, who is a notable figure in English football.
Maguire had recently revitalized his career at Manchester United under the guidance of Michael Carrick, leading many to believe he would secure a spot in the FIFA World Cup squad due to his extensive experience in major tournaments with England.
Nevertheless, Tuchel’s final selection excluded Maguire, along with other notable players such as Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The 66-cap England international has now disclosed how Tuchel approached the players who were not chosen.
During an appearance on Gary Lineker’s Rest is Football World Cup podcast, he stated, “He FaceTimed everyone. It was quite an awkward call. 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. 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.
“He said he can’t give me an excuse but he had gone with the four lads who got him through the autumn. It was tough to take. I did think I would be in the squad after being selected for the March camp under him for the first time. I did really well in both games and then went back to Manchester United and finished the season really strongly.”
England is set to face Croatia in their opening match of the FIFA World Cup in Group L on Wednesday, June 17, followed by games against Ghana and Panama on June 23 and June 27, respectively.
