Anderton furious with Tuchel over Henderson World Cup call at expense of Palmer and Maguire

Darren Anderton has publicly questioned Thomas Tuchel’s decision to include Jordan Henderson in England’s World Cup 2026 squad, saying he would be furious if he were one of the players left behind — specifically naming Cole Palmer and Harry Maguire as those with the strongest grievances.

Henderson, who turns 36 on Wednesday, has been a consistent pick under Tuchel despite spending two underwhelming seasons in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ettifaq and at Ajax before returning to the Premier League with Brentford last summer. He helped the Bees finish ninth in the top flight, but Anderton — a Tottenham legend who earned 30 England caps — struggled to see the justification for his inclusion over more naturally gifted alternatives.

“If I wasn’t going to the World Cup because he’s ‘good around the camp’, I’d be pretty p***ed off,” Anderton told the Daily Mail. Palmer’s omission drew particular scrutiny, even accounting for an injury-disrupted season at Chelsea, while Morgan Gibbs-White and Phil Foden were among the other notable absentees from the squad.

Anderton, who will be in Arlington to watch England’s opening Group B fixture against Croatia on Wednesday, is not entirely downbeat about the Three Lions’ prospects. He reserved high praise for captain Harry Kane, while urging the team to provide him with better service than in recent tournaments.

“We have a really good chance,” he said. “Harry [Kane] is obviously just ridiculous. I hope that we play some expansive, entertaining football that means that we see the best of Harry. The last two tournaments we haven’t — the service has been nil.”

Beyond the Henderson debate, Tuchel faces further selection dilemmas ahead of the Croatia game, with questions surrounding Jude Bellingham’s role and whether in-form Morgan Rogers could feature, as well as Anthony Gordon’s push for a starting berth on the left wing. England are chasing their first major international title since 1966.