Gary Lineker has expressed his surprise at several of Thomas Tuchel's selections for England's World Cup squad, particularly the 'baffling' omission of Newcastle United defender Lewis Hall. Hall was unexpectedly left out when Tuchel named his 26-man squad for the tournament in the United States, where England aim to win the World Cup.
Lineker's concerns over left-back choice
Manchester City's Nico O'Reilly is expected to be England's first-choice left-back, with Tuchel also selecting Hall's Newcastle teammate Dan Burn and Tottenham's Djed Spence. Lineker found Hall's absence difficult to understand, stating on The Rest is Football podcast: 'It certainly surprised me but everyone has their own view. All that matters is what the England manager thinks, but there are a few things I can't understand.'
He added: 'Lewis Hall was the only player I've really seen cope with Lamine Yamal this season. So I found that decision a little bit baffling.'
Palmer and Maguire overlooked
Lineker was also disappointed about Chelsea's Cole Palmer not being selected. 'Noni Madueke had an okay season but he plays second fiddle to Bukayo Saka most of the time. Cole gives you something different; he's a moment player. If we rewind 12 months, he was player of the tournament at the Club World Cup where this tournament is being played.'
Harry Maguire was described as 'really unlucky' by Lineker. 'Tuchel spoke very highly of Dan Burn and said he could be a real leader. I suspected he wouldn't pick both because they're similar players, but Maguire is really unlucky because he has always played well at major tournaments.'
Surprise inclusion of Ivan Toney
Lineker was also surprised by Ivan Toney's inclusion after two seasons in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ahli. 'I was really surprised about Ivan Toney; that one came out of nowhere. He's a good player of course but I did find that slightly surprising.'
England begin their World Cup campaign on June 17 against Croatia, followed by group matches against Ghana and Panama.
