Harry Maguire has been left out of England’s squad for this summer’s World Cup.
Thomas Tuchel has begun informing certain players of their places – or lack thereof – ahead of an official squad announcement on Friday morning, and Maguire was the first major omission to be confirmed, with the news coming on Thursday evening.
Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden is also set to miss out when Tuchel names his 26-man England squad. And Chelsea playmaker Cole Palmer is another big-name player who is set to be left out of Tuchel’s squad.
TalkSport first reported that Maguire would not be going to this summer’s World Cup, which takes place in the US, Canada and Mexico, before the defender confirmed his omission in a social-media statement.
“I was confident I could of [sic] played a major part this summer for my country after the season I’ve had,” Maguire tweeted. “I’ve been left shocked and gutted by the decision.
“I’ve loved nothing more than putting that shirt on and representing my country over the years. I wish the players all the best this summer.”
The centre back, 33, was a key player under Tuchel’s predecessor, Gareth Southgate, starring for England in their run to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals, Euro 2020 final, and 2022 World Cup quarter-finals.
A calf injury cost Maguire a place at Euro 2024, where England reached another final and were beaten again before Southgate resigned as coach.
This season, Maguire missed almost two months of action for Manchester United due to thigh issues, but from January he was back in the fold. He has made 24 appearances for the club in all competitions this term.
Maguire also has 66 England caps, with his two most recent outings coming in March’s pair of friendlies; he played 90 minutes in a 1-1 draw with Uruguay and came off the bench late in the 0-1 loss to Japan.
However, prior to those appearances, he did not feature in any of Tuchel’s squads since taking over as England manager in late 2024, in large part due to his injury struggles.
In any case, his omission means the “Three Lions” will be without an experienced tournament player come 17 June, when they play Croatia in their World Cup opener in Dallas, Texas. England then face Ghana on 23 June and Panama on 27 June, rounding out the group stage.
Maguire’s omission, however, likely spells good news for Dan Burn, and potentially Levi Colwill or Jarell Quansah. Newcastle’s Burn, Chelsea’s Colwill, and Bayer Leverkusen’s Quansah are among the centre-back hopefuls for Tuchel’s squad.
Meanwhile, Man City’s John Stones and Marc Guehi are considered locks to be included, with Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa also in with a strong chance of featuring.
The City pair’s teammate Foden may not be so lucky, however. The 25-year-old, who plays in midfield, is expected to be left out on Friday.
Foden’s quality has been apparent during various periods at Man City, but he has often failed to match that form in an England shirt.
