Rooney questions Tuchel's 'strange' snub of Shaw as Chalobah earns England call-up

Wayne Rooney has publicly questioned Thomas Tuchel’s decision to call up Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah as injury cover rather than turn to Luke Shaw, after Newcastle full-back Tino Livramento was ruled out of the 2026 World Cup before it began.

Livramento’s withdrawal left England needing to fill a squad place, and Tuchel opted for Chalobah — a versatile defender whose only previous England appearance came in a friendly against Senegal last year. Rooney, speaking to the BBC, felt the choice was difficult to justify given Shaw’s international pedigree.

“It’s a bit strange. I would have liked to have seen Luke Shaw,” Rooney said. “And then Djed Spence maybe being cover for Reece James and Luke Shaw come in. But I’m sure Thomas Tuchel has kept contact with players to stay available and I’m sure he [Chalobah] was one of those who was available.”

Shaw has been a consistent presence for England at major tournaments, starting and scoring in the Euro 2020 final, though persistent injuries have limited his availability in recent seasons. Chalobah is not expected to feature in England’s opening group game against Croatia on Wednesday.

The Chalobah call-up is not the only selection that has divided opinion around Tuchel’s squad. The German coach, leading England at a major tournament for the first time, chose to leave out Trent Alexander-Arnold despite the Real Madrid right-back’s widespread acclaim, with defensive concerns cited as a factor.

Harry Maguire was also omitted and revealed the manner of his notification. “It was quite an awkward call,” the centre-back said. “I received a text saying can I speak to you about 4pm. It is quite a unique way of doing it and it must be quite hard because he can see everyone’s reactions. I said straightaway I was really disappointed.”

In defence, Tuchel faces a selection dilemma at centre-back, with John Stones, Ezri Konsa and Marc Guehi all pushing for two starting berths. Stones and Guehi have previously combined effectively, but Konsa’s outstanding season with Aston Villa has strengthened his claim. At full-back, Reece James retains his place on the right, while Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly, who has emerged as one of the country’s leading left-backs this season, is in contention on the opposite flank.