The real reason England snubbed Foden, Palmer, Wharton and Trent for World Cup | Football | Sport

Thomas Tuchel is experienced enough to know his World Cup squad selection would ignite the ultimate pub debate. England‘s inclusions and omissions from the 26-man squad for this summer’s tournament have provoked equal measures of elation and heartbreak. The vast majority reported on Monday to either fly out or join the training camp in Florida, with the fallout from Tuchel’s eyebrow-raising selections still reverberating.

Harry Maguire made his feelings abundantly clear after being cut from the squad. “Disappointed and shocked” was how the Manchester United defender described his axing. Adam Wharton let his football do the talking with a man-of-the-match display for Crystal Palace as they defeated Rayo Vallecano to clinch the Europa Conference League. And nobody saw Djed Spence coming.

At least there was no Gazza-style meltdown. Paul Gascoigne famously wrecked Glenn Hoddle’s hotel room in La Manga after being dropped from the squad ahead of France 98.

Yet Tuchel is hardly likely to win any popularity contests, particularly after naming the likes of Dan Burn, Jordan Henderson and, to a lesser degree, John Stones.

Burn possesses the aerial threat for set-pieces, but pitting him against the blistering pace of Spain’s Lamine Yamal looks something of a mismatch.

Henderson missed matches through injury at Brentford this season, while Stones barely featured for Manchester City.

Which raises the obvious question: why? They cannot all be included simply because they are agreeable travelling companions.

This is the World Cup, not a leisure retreat, even if Tuchel plans to afford his players considerable downtime in Florida and is even welcoming the WAGs to the pre-tournament training base.

Remarkably, the squad could spend seven weeks together, taking in the pre-tournament base ahead of the first 48-team World Cup, which features an additional knock-out round.

Yet the reality is that Tuchel privately believes, drawing on previous tournaments, campaigns and other nations, that the maximum number of players utilised will be 21.

That leaves five players who, realistically, may not get a single kick. They could be away for a total of seven weeks without ever getting a look-in.

While those five include two back-up keepers in Dean Henderson and James Trafford, and some may feature in the Florida friendlies against New Zealand and Costa Rica, there will inevitably be a number of players left twiddling their thumbs.

At Euro 2024, it was an open secret that former manager Gareth Southgate brought in a host of fresh, younger faces he was less familiar with, and some did grow restless. That equilibrium must be carefully managed.

The concern ahead of Euro 2024 centred on Maguire’s fitness, but also on how a seasoned veteran of previous World Cups would cope with a place on the bench.

Cast your mind back to Maguire’s interview in March, following his recall from the international wilderness for friendlies against Japan and Uruguay, and he was keen to repeatedly emphasise that he would gladly be part of the World Cup squad whether it meant playing one minute or every minute of the tournament.

This was a player with a clear message. He performed well against Uruguay, yet Tuchel was subsequently quick to stress that Maguire remained well down the pecking order. Anyone with even a passing interest in the England setup would not have shared Maguire’s apparent surprise at being overlooked.

This is by no means suggesting that Maguire would have been a disruptive presence or a poor tourist. That said, Tuchel was candid when he admitted he was “disappointed” that Maguire chose to issue a public statement confirming his omission. Perhaps that was point proven.

Consider, for instance, whether Wharton would have taken it well had he not seen a single minute of action or even got changed at the World Cup. That is no easy pill to swallow.

These are precisely the kinds of judgement calls that come into play. It is why Burn has earned his place — Tuchel views him as a positive influence, an ideal squad member and, crucially, a threat at set-pieces.

Henderson drove himself to the Euro 2024 final. That speaks volumes about his dedication. Tuchel admires that enormously and values the experienced guidance he provides to the likes of Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham.

Stones represents an intriguing selection. His inclusion stems from a combination of his calibre as what Tuchel describes as “a world class defender”, alongside his positive character. This is, after all, the player who, right up until the final day, had not registered a single tackle in the Premier League all season.

Tuchel has consulted former managers in an attempt to understand what succeeds and what fails. One of the most consistent messages the England boss received was that success hinges upon harmony, unity and being good tourists.

Experienced players who provide positive influences and are happy to contribute to the collective, rather than younger players who might become frustrated, restless and disruptive.

It seems straightforward enough, yet that magic number 21 genuinely possesses logic and reasoning behind it. The remaining five must be satisfied simply with their presence.

Palace players are due to report from Wednesday onwards, Arsenal‘s contingent receive an additional week, while some players will travel directly to Miami from their holidays, with the remainder flying in from Birmingham on Monday morning.

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