Maguire dropped again as Mainoo and Rashford earn England Nations League call-ups

Harry Maguire has been omitted from Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the upcoming Nations League group-stage fixtures against Spain, Croatia, and the Czech Republic, continuing his international exile after being left out of the 2026 World Cup squad earlier this summer.

Maguire’s World Cup exclusion had already caught supporters and the player off guard, with the Manchester United defender believing his club form merited a place in the final 26 who travelled to North America. Tuchel delivered the news to each player individually via FaceTime calls. The latest squad announcement confirms the 31-year-old remains outside the manager’s plans.

Kobbie Mainoo has been recalled despite a frustrating World Cup campaign in which he went unused throughout, including the semi-final defeat to Argentina. He was then left out entirely for the third-place play-off, a 6-4 win over France in which Tuchel deployed Reece James as an auxiliary midfielder. Mainoo’s inclusion in this squad suggests Tuchel is ready to give the Manchester United midfielder a more meaningful role at international level.

Marcus Rashford also retains his place after a strong loan spell at Barcelona earned him a spot in the World Cup squad. Luke Shaw has not been selected, with a minor injury having already kept him out of club action, including the Champions League fixture against Sabah, the Manchester derby, and the Carabao Cup defeat to Brighton.

Three Manchester City players were called up: Nico O’Reilly, Marc Guehi, and Elliot Anderson.

England’s full squad: Jordan Pickford, Jason Steele, James Trafford, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jarrad Branthwaite, Trevoh Chalobah, Marc Guehi, Lewis Hall, Ezri Konsa, Tino Livramento, Nico O’Reilly, Jarell Quansah, Elliot Anderson, Jude Bellingham, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Kobbie Mainoo, Cole Palmer, Declan Rice, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Eberechi Eze, Anthony Gordon, Harry Kane, Rio Ngumoha, Marcus Rashford, Morgan Rogers, Bukayo Saka.