Harry Maguire has told the England squad he wants them to win the World Cup – despite being left “shocked and gutted” by his omission from Thomas Tuchel’s 26-man party.
The Manchester United defender, a regular for his club when fit last season, was a surprise absentee from the squad travelling to North America. In a statement on social media, Maguire said he had been confident of playing a major part this summer after the season he had. “I’ve been left shocked and gutted by the decision,” he wrote. “I’ve loved nothing more than putting that shirt on and representing my country over the years. I wish the players all the best this summer.”
“Harry Maguire says he spoke to England squad and wishes them well after being left out of the World Cup.”
It is the second major tournament in a row he has missed, after a calf injury ruled him out of Euro 2024. But Maguire will still be part of the World Cup in a different capacity – as a pundit on Netflix’s The Rest is Football show alongside Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards. Appearing on Monday, he told Lineker he had spoken to a “few” members of the squad. “I want them to do well,” he said. “All my friends, obviously I’d love to have been out there and maybe not chatting to you on this podcast. But this is obviously the second best thing for me.”
He is not the only high-profile name to miss the cut. United teammate Luke Shaw, Manchester City’s Phil Foden, Chelsea’s Cole Palmer and Real Madrid’s Trent Alexander-Arnold were also left out. Former United captain Roy Keane delivered a blunt assessment: “Every time we do an England game, we speak a lot about players who have been left out … but I think if you can’t get into a squad of 26, that’s on you. That’s on the player, you’ve not done enough to convince that manager.”
England begin their campaign on Wednesday night against Croatia at the Dallas Stadium, with a 9pm kick-off. Their other Group L matches follow against Ghana on Tuesday 23 June and Panama on Saturday 27 June. Maguire, watching from afar, said: “I want them to do well, though.”