Thomas Tuchel has been warned that he made a mistake by taking ‘overrated’ Arsenal duo Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke to the World Cup.
England are ramping up their preparations for the World Cup and will face Costa Rica in their final warm-up match on Wednesday in Florida.
The Three Lions begin their campaign proper against Croatia next week as they seek to go one further than their runners-up finish last time out at the European Championship.
Tuchel’s 26-man squad for the tournament certainly divided opinion, especially after high-profile names such as Cole Palmer and Harry Maguire missed out.
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Former Dutch international Rafael van der Vaart has now waded into the debate and questioned whether Eze and Madueke had done enough this season for Arsenal to warrant selection for this summer’s World Cup.
‘When I am watching the squad I think Eze and Madueke are overrated,’ he told AceOdds.com.
‘Madueke is not playing for Arsenal and Eze is only playing sometimes. I think they are just a bit overrated. I mean, Madueke is still a good player, I also know him very well from when he played at PSV.
‘But this season hasn’t been good for them but because Arsenal as a team has been playing well, they were also performing in some way.’
In their place, Van der Vaart insisted he would definitely have taken Cole Palmer, as he questioned Tuchel’s ‘strange’ decision to omit the Chelsea midfielder.
‘The only thing I just really don’t understand is that Cole Palmer wasn’t selected,’ the former Tottenham midfielder added. ‘He is for me still one of the biggest talents at the moment. That is a very strange choice.
‘Cole Palmer is just a fantastic player and actually also in the Netherlands we talk a lot about his potential. He makes the difference for Chelsea every time and then when you see the squad, you are thinking to yourself: Why is he not there?
‘For me, that is simply not an understandable decision. The decision is very strange in my opinion.’
Former England defender John Terry echoed Van der Vaart’s thoughts and said Tuchel had ‘got it wrong’ by leaving Palmer behind.
Discussing Tuchel’s squad selection, Terry said: ‘Harry Maguire for me, he’s a better player than Dan Burn and now if the other two get injured, whether that’s John Stones coming in, I’d much rather Harry Maguire there and be the one coming in.
‘I think he always poses a big threat from set plays as well late on, and I know Dan Burn poses that threat as well, when he can play at left-back being a left sider.
‘But I would have Harry Maguire there every day of the week. Luke Shaw is another one at left back. We’re looking at Nico O’Reilly playing there.
‘I think someone like him needs someone like Luke Shaw around the place to help him, settle him, give him a little bit of advice because he is the future of us in our next World Cups coming up.
‘Cole Palmer is the next big decision as well. So I think he’s got it wrong in three or four big decisions on the pitch, actually. I think you need your best players, the further you get in these World Cups.’
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