Manchester United centre-back Harry Maguire said he is ‘shocked’ and ‘gutted’ that he is set to miss out on England’s squad for the World Cup.
Maguire has enjoyed a resurgent second half of the Premier League season under Michael Carrick, helping United secure a return to the Champions League with a third-place finish.
That fine form saw the 33-year-old rewarded with a return to the England squad for March’s international friendlies against Uruguay and Japan.
Despite that, reports on Thursday suggested that Maguire is set to miss out on Tuchel’s 26-man squad for the World Cup, which is due to be announced on Friday morning.
Love football?
Our seven-day guide to the World Cup is live. 48 teams, 104 games, 1104 players – we’ve got everything you need to know. Sign up now.
And Maguire appeared to confirm his impending omission in a statemnt on social media, which read: ‘I was confident I could have played a major part this summer for my country after the season I’ve had.
‘I’ve been left shocked and gutted by the decision. I wish the players all the best.’
Maguire also missed out on Gareth Southgate’s squad for Euro 2024, with his last major tournament coming back in 2022 at the Qatar World Cup.
Speaking back in March, Tuchel made no secret of the fact that Maguire was not at the top of his pecking order when it came to central defenders.
‘I see other players I like to start for us, I see other players ahead with a different profile,’ he said.
‘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.’
The aforementioned Konsa and Guehi look poised to be England’s first-choice pairing this summer, with Stones set to join them despite his lack of playing time at Manchester City.
Dan Burn has been virtually ever-present in Tuchel’s England squad and would provide a versatile option on the left side.
Levi Colwill is also in with a shout of being the fourth-choice option, having made his Chelsea return in recent weeks after missing most of the season with an ACL injury.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.