Maguire set for World Cup podcast role after Tuchel drops him from England squad

Harry Maguire will feature in The Rest is Football’s World Cup coverage as a guest after Thomas Tuchel omitted the Manchester United centre-back from England’s 26-man squad for the tournament in the United States. The Athletic reports the 33-year-old is among several guests expected to appear on the podcast during the competition.

Maguire had been widely considered a strong candidate for one of the defensive berths following an impressive season at Old Trafford, but Tuchel instead selected Dan Burn, Jarrel Quansah and Djed Spence, with Luke Shaw also left out. Maguire publicly stated he was shocked by the decision, while Tuchel acknowledged he was caught off guard by the strength of the defender’s reaction.

The Rest is Football, hosted by Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer, has secured a £14 million deal with Netflix to produce daily episodes during the World Cup. A total of 40 episodes have been planned across the tournament.

The World Cup begins in just over a week when co-host nation Mexico face South Africa. England’s final pre-tournament friendly takes place 24 hours before the opening match, with the Three Lions set to face Costa Rica in Orlando.

Off the pitch, Manchester United have already completed their first summer signing, with midfielder Ederson joining from Atalanta in a £38.8 million deal. The 26-year-old’s omission from Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil squad helped accelerate negotiations, with Atalanta also willing to sell given he had one year remaining on his contract.

Further midfield reinforcements are expected following Casemiro’s departure, with Elliot Anderson, Mateus Fernandes, Adam Wharton and Aurelien Tchouameni among the names of interest to manager Michael Carrick. United are also reported to be exploring options at left-back.