Keane says Tuchel 'doesn't have a clue' as Kane breaks England World Cup scoring record

Roy Keane has publicly questioned Thomas Tuchel’s ability to settle on a first-choice England side, declaring the manager “doesn’t have a clue” what his best XI is after a stuttering 2-0 victory over Panama in New Jersey on Saturday secured top spot in their 2026 World Cup group.

England were goalless and largely uninspiring in the first half before Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane struck after the break to confirm first place and a last-32 tie in Atlanta on Wednesday.

Tuchel made five changes from the side that drew with Ghana, with the injured Reece James replaced by Jarrell Quansah — who also picked up a knock during the match. Morgan Rogers, Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford were also introduced, with Kane the only forward retained from the previous game.

“I don’t think he has a clue what his best XI is,” former Republic of Ireland and Manchester United captain Keane told ITV. “That’s not good. Defensively, he’s chopping and changing. It’s not just the wide players… other positions. The onus is on the attacking positions. There are too many England players not doing enough. Too many question marks where it’s a toss of a coin [for selection]. These lads don’t do it.”

Kane’s goal was a landmark moment, taking his World Cup tally for England to 11 and moving him past Gary Lineker as the nation’s all-time leading scorer in the tournament.

Bellingham, who netted his second goal of the competition, was more upbeat about England’s progress. “First job achieved,” he said. “We came here to do it in sections. We got through the pre-camp games, and we’ve done the first objective: to top the group. We knew what level we wanted to achieve, we did that in the second half.”

The Real Madrid midfielder also reflected on his assist for Kane, saying he preferred the pass to his own goal. “Good combination of play, to give it to Harry again. Everything he deserves — you see the effort he puts in as a captain, his quality speaks for itself.”

England’s injury situation at right-back remains a concern heading into the knockout stage, with both James and Quansah now doubts. Tuchel’s side will face one of Senegal, DR Congo, Algeria or Austria in the last-32 on Wednesday.