Harry Maguire's England Omission Raises Questions Ahead of World Cup
Harry Maguire ended the 2025-26 season looking like a man who had kicked the door back open. A strong run of form for Manchester United, a third-place finish, Champions League football secured – it all seemed to drag him back into the conversation for another major tournament with England.
On paper, 66 caps and a catalogue of big-tournament performances should have carried serious weight. In reality, the 33-year-old found himself on the outside looking in.
Thomas Tuchel’s call came not in a quiet office or a formal meeting room, but on FaceTime. Maguire later told The Rest Is Football podcast that “he FaceTimes everyone. It’s quite an awkward call.” The message was blunt: John Stones, Ezri Konsa, Marc Guehi, Dan Burn and Jarell Quansah were all ahead of him in the queue.
England opened their World Cup campaign against Croatia in Texas with Stones and Konsa at the heart of defence. The scoreline – a 4-2 win – flattered the back line more than the performance did. Croatia found gaps, exposed nerves and tested a unit that still looked like it was learning each other’s habits.
The lack of a commanding voice at the back did not go unnoticed.
Former England full-back Danny Mills, speaking on behalf of betTOM, did not dress it up when he spoke to GOAL. “I think going into the tournament, the defensive situation was always going to be the worry – especially as you go deep into the tournament and you come up against better teams, some very, very good teams, in the latter stages. Trying to find that balance is never going to be easy, I think, with the squad that was picked.”
The surprise for Mills was not Stones’ inclusion, but his partner. “I was a little bit surprised by Stones and Konsa, that selection. I've said from day one, if Stones is fit, he plays, because I think he's exceptional. But I would have played him alongside Marc Guehi. They've not just played together at Manchester City, they know each other from Manchester City as well. They've trained together every day, they have an understanding, they've built that up.”
That familiarity, in Mills’ eyes, should have been the foundation. Instead, England went with a newer pairing and lived dangerously in the first half before their attacking power dragged them clear.
The full-back picture raises more questions. “Reece James, I think he's a fantastic full-back and a great footballer,” Mills said. On the opposite flank, he pointed to Nico O'Reilly’s breakout at Manchester City but flagged a concern that will have chimed with plenty of coaches. “Left-back, Nico O'Reilly has done great for Manchester City, but my concern is he's better attacking than he is defensively at times, and he goes wandering into those areas.”
All of that fed back into the same conclusion. “So, yes, I was surprised by the omission of Harry Maguire.”
For Mills, it is not just about who starts, but who you trust when the game turns ugly. “When I look at the squad in general, defensively, at what stage do some of those players start for England? I'm not sure some of them do, unless there's six or seven injuries. Whereas Harry Maguire, you can bring on, you can play him in a back three if you need to. You can use him as a weapon up front.”
That versatility has long been Maguire’s trump card at international level – dominant in the air in both boxes, comfortable in a three or a four, a magnet for set pieces. Leaving that behind is a calculated risk. Mills’ verdict was clear enough: “So, yes, one or two defensive concerns still. Fantastic second half, great performance in the second half, but I think there will be much stiffer challenges to come.”
The story did not end with the original squad announcement. England had a second chance to turn back to Maguire when Tino Livramento was forced to withdraw. The opening was there. Tuchel again looked elsewhere.
This time, the call went to Trevoh Chalobah. One senior cap, a stop-start club career, but a defender Tuchel knows from Chelsea and trusts. In a tournament environment, that familiarity can be a powerful currency.
Given the timing, questions naturally followed. Had Maguire’s public reaction to his initial omission – comments made in the immediate aftermath of the snub – damaged his chances of a recall?
Mills did not claim inside knowledge, but he sketched the likely process. “I have to assume that when the squad was announced – three weeks ago, three-and-a-half, four weeks ago – Thomas Tuchel would have had to say to four or five players, ‘keep yourself fit and keep yourself ready, because you're on the standby list and if something happens, you may get a phone call’.”
That standby life is brutal. No camp, no games, no adrenaline – just lonely sessions and the hope your phone rings at the right time. “That is hard because you're not involved in it and most of your other players and colleagues are either at a World Cup or they're off on holiday, enjoying themselves and doing what they need to do. But you've got to train alone, keep training – very, very hard to get to that stage and be ready just in case.”
In that context, Mills believes the logic behind Chalobah’s call-up is straightforward. “So I would assume that's the reason why there would be a list of maybe four or five that were told you have an opportunity if somebody gets injured and that's maybe why that call-up has come.”
For Maguire, the picture is stark. His late-season surge for United was not enough to shift Tuchel’s hierarchy. Others have been trusted to grow into the shirt while he watches from afar, his international future now balanced on the thin line between past service and a manager’s new vision.
