Harry Maguire has been left out of England’s provisional World Cup squad after manager Thomas Tuchel omitted the Manchester United centre-back.
Maguire, who has 66 England caps, posted on social media that he was “confident I could [have] played a major part this summer” and said he was “shocked and gutted” by the decision. He added that representing his country had been a huge honour and wished the selected players well for the tournament.
The defender has reclaimed a starting role at Old Trafford, featuring in 14 of Manchester United’s last 16 Premier League matches under Michael Carrick, and earned a recall to the England squad in March. He started against Uruguay, impressing with solid defending and aerial presence, and came on late in the friendly defeat to Japan.
Despite those performances, Tuchel indicated after the Uruguay game that Maguire was not among his first-choice centre-backs. Tuchel praised Maguire’s ball skills, composure and set-piece threat but said he preferred players with different profiles. He explicitly named Ezri Konsa and Marc Guehi as ahead of Maguire, and cited Trevoh Chalobah’s mobility as slightly preferable. John Stones was also mentioned as an option, though fitness concerns remain.
Tuchel is due to name his 26-man World Cup squad on Friday morning. Sky Sports News understands that United team-mate Luke Shaw will also not be included.
Reaction and selection context
Sky Sports’ Rob Dorsett described the omission as surprising given Maguire’s experience and recent form for Manchester United. Dorsett noted Maguire has been a long-term England regular through three major tournaments and argued the centre-back had done enough to warrant a place. He suggested Tuchel appears likely to pick five central defenders and that Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa and Dan Burn are expected to be near-certain selections. Other contenders mentioned include Levi Colwill, John Stones, Jarell Quansah and Trevoh Chalobah, leaving room for debate over final choices.
England’s World Cup preparations and schedule
England will travel to the United States on Monday, June 1, and will be based at Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City, Missouri during the tournament. Warm-up matches before the competition are scheduled against New Zealand on June 6 (21:00 UK) and Costa Rica on June 10 (21:00 UK).
England’s group-stage fixtures (Group L):
– England vs Croatia — June 17, Dallas, 21:00 (UK)
– England vs Ghana — June 23, Boston, 21:00 (UK)
– Panama vs England — June 27, New York/New Jersey, 22:00 (UK)
Key World Cup dates:
– Group stage: June 11–27
– Round of 32: June 28–July 3
– Round of 16: July 4–7
– Quarter-finals: July 9–11
– Semi-finals: July 14–15
– Third-place play-off: July 18
– Final: July 19
Tuchel’s final squad announcement will clarify his defensive choices, but Maguire’s exclusion marks a notable end to his bid to make a fourth major-tournament England squad.