Manchester United trio Kobbie Mainoo, Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire are back in contention to make the England squad for the 2026 World Cup following a promising update from Thomas Tuchel.
When Thomas Tuchel was appointed England manager, Manchester United were struggling under Erik ten Hag.
Although Ten Hag was sacked shortly after Tuchel took the England job, United’s results worsened under Ruben Amorim in the 2024/25 campaign, and the football was far from good enough this season.
Poor results led to Amorim’s sacking in January. Some of the players also experienced greater hardship making national team squads, especially those who play for England.
Four United players have been overlooked by Tuchel. They include Kobbie Mainoo, Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire and Mason Mount.
All of these players are at risk of missing out on the 2026 World Cup, but the tide is starting to change in United’s favour following a positive run of results under Michael Carrick.
Thomas Tuchel confirms Man Utd trio back in contention for England squad
Of the four United first-team players hoping to earn a place back in the England squad, three of them are under consideration after showing improved form in the Premier League.
Mainoo, Shaw and Maguire are now in Tuchel’s thinking ahead of his next England squad. This bodes well for all three players as it could give them a chance to prove their worth to the Three Lions ahead of the World Cup this summer.
It also means that Mount is the only player from the four who isn’t being considered by Tuchel, but the playmaker is currently out injured after playing a bit-part role in Carrick’s first few games after returning to Old Trafford.
“It is great that he is back on the pitch,” Tuchel said of Mainoo when asked whether he was back in contention for an England place, as quoted by The Athletic.
“He is such a huge talent. He has already played a tournament from start to finish for England, so he is back in the picture, so is Luke Shaw, and so is Harry [Maguire].
“There are some players suddenly back in the picture; they play a back four now and play with a different style, which is a bit easier to translate to our structure at the moment. It’s good competition.”
None of the three United players in question was called up by Tuchel previously. The only player in the squad who has played under the German coach is Mount, during their time together at Chelsea.
England are back in action when they take on Uruguay on March 27.
Which Man Utd players made the England World Cup squad in 2022?
There were three United players in the England squad for the 2022 World Cup, while Mount made the squad but was still a Chelsea player.
The others included Marcus Rashford, Shaw and Maguire.
Rashford, currently on loan at Barcelona, is a favourite to make the squad this summer.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/ZgFB391