Harry Maguire has revealed the 'unique' and awkward way Thomas Tuchel informed him that he would not be part of England's World Cup squad this summer. The Manchester United centre-back was left out of the 26-man roster, with Tuchel selecting John Stones, Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa, Dan Burn, and Jarell Quansah instead.
Although the decision was not entirely unexpected, as Tuchel had rarely called upon Maguire and had previously stated that four defenders were ahead of him in the pecking order, the 33-year-old was shocked and upset. He disclosed that the news was delivered via a FaceTime call.
Maguire's Reaction to the FaceTime Call
Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, Maguire explained: 'He FaceTimed everyone. It was quite an awkward call. I received a text saying can I speak to you about 4pm. It is quite a unique way of doing it and it must be quite hard because he can see everyone’s reactions.'
Maguire continued: 'I said straightaway I was really disappointed. I thought I did enough to be in the squad and thought I could have helped and had a part to play on and off the pitch. He said he can’t give me an excuse but he had gone with the four lads who got him through the autumn.'
'It was tough to take. I did think I would be in the squad after being selected for the March camp under him for the first time. I did really well in both games and then went back to Manchester United and finished the season really strongly,' added the 66-cap defender.
Maguire's World Cup Aspirations
Maguire, now 33, expressed his disappointment at missing the tournament, noting that the next World Cup in four years feels distant. 'I’m quite a big personality. I’m experienced and I was really disappointed. I wanted to go to the World Cup and play. I’m 33 now, 37 at the next World Cup — it looks far away. I wanted to go, not just play. I told the manager I wasn’t demanding to go and start the games. I would have been happy to play one minute as long as I’m there with the lads,' he said.
It now appears that Maguire has been overlooked again. An injury to full-back Tino Livramento is expected to see the Newcastle player replaced in Tuchel’s squad, but instead of a like-for-like replacement, Tuchel will reportedly call up Chelsea centre-back Trevoh Chalobah.
This should not come as a great surprise, as Tuchel had previously named Chalobah ahead of Maguire in his thinking. Speaking in March, the German said: 'I see other players I like to start for us, I see other players ahead with a different profile. 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.'
