Tuchel dampens speculation over Maguire's international tournament prospects

Thomas Tuchel has revealed a significant setback for Harry Maguire's World Cup aspirations, stating the defender would only be his fifth-choice centre-back, a major blow to the England player's hopes of participating in the tournament.

Maguire had previously been handed his first England start in 18 months by Tuchel in Friday's 1-1 friendly draw against Uruguay, where he delivered a solid performance at Wembley.

Throughout his career, Maguire has made appearances in three major tournaments with England and has accumulated 65 caps, showcasing his experience and dedication to the national team.

However, Tuchel has indicated that Maguire ranks behind several other defenders, including Ezri Konsa, Marc Guehi, John Stones, and Trevoh Chalobah, in his preferred pecking order, despite acknowledging Maguire's abilities.

Tuchel praised Maguire's display, stating "I got exactly what I thought, solid, solid central defender play, that's what he does, very good on the ball, very calm, strong in the air and is the weapon for set-pieces", highlighting Maguire's strengths as a defender.

Tuchel further explained his assessment of Maguire, saying "I haven't changed my mind but I see other players I like to start for us, I see other players ahead with a different profile", emphasizing his preference for other defenders.

Specifically, Tuchel mentioned that he sees Ezri Konsa, Marc Guehi, and Trevoh Chalobah as being ahead of Maguire, with John Stones also being a contender, albeit one who has been hindered by injuries.

Maguire has only one remaining opportunity to stake his claim for the World Cup, with England set to host Japan in a friendly at Wembley on Tuesday, after which the team will not play again until the World Cup warm-ups in June.

When asked if Maguire would be included in the squad if it had to be named immediately, Tuchel responded with "If, if, if, we don't need to name the squad tomorrow", choosing not to make any definitive statements about Maguire's inclusion.

Tuchel did, however, express his satisfaction with Maguire's performance, saying "He did a good game, he did what he does for Man United, he did it straight away, I'm very happy with him", highlighting Maguire's consistency.

Meanwhile, John Stones, who was not involved in the match against Uruguay due to a calf problem, has been described by Tuchel as "world class" and is said to have "credit in the bank", despite struggling to maintain a consistent run of games for his club.