Maguire reveals Tuchel broke World Cup snub news over FaceTime — and admits they 'had words'

Harry Maguire has revealed that England head coach Thomas Tuchel delivered World Cup squad omissions to players — including Maguire himself, Kobbie Mainoo, and Luke Shaw — via FaceTime, and the Manchester United centre-back has admitted he “had words” with Tuchel after being left out of the squad for the tournament in North America this summer.

Maguire, 33, said he received a text from Tuchel at around 9 or 10 in the morning asking to speak at 4pm — a pattern he says was repeated for other omitted players. “He FaceTimes everybody and it’s quite a unique way to do it,” Maguire said on Gary Lineker’s The Rest is Football Netflix show. “It’s probably harder for himself to see our reactions and things like that.”

The former Leicester City and Hull City defender described the call as surprising and said he believed his form at club level warranted inclusion. “I said straight away it was a surprise. I was really disappointed, and I thought I did enough to be in the squad and help the lads out there,” he said. “I thought I still had a part to play on the pitch and off the pitch.”

Maguire says Tuchel’s explanation centred on the four centre-backs who featured during England’s autumn qualifying campaign. “He really said he can’t give me an excuse but that he’s gone with the four lads that got him through the qualifying in the autumn camps. He felt like they did well during those six games but he did say that he can’t really give me an excuse.”

The snub came despite a strong finish to the Premier League season under Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick. United lost just twice in the top flight from January onwards, finishing third and securing Champions League football for the first time since 2023. Maguire had been selected for England’s March camp under Tuchel and played in both fixtures, which he felt strengthened his case.

“I felt I did well in both of the games and then went back to Manchester United and finished the season strong,” he said. “I thought I did enough to be in the squad but like I said, he’s made that decision.”

Maguire is now working as a pundit on The Rest is Football during the tournament, having spent time in Barbados following the end of the club season. “This is the second-best place I could be,” he said.