A list of players who have been left out of England's World Cup squad by the ruthless Thomas Tuchel
England manager Thomas Tuchel has been forced to make some extremely difficult decisions over the past 48 hours, with some big-name players missing out on his World Cup squad, including the in-form Morgan Gibbs-White.
Tuchel will name his 26-man squad for this summer's World Cup during an announcement event at Wembley Stadium on Friday morning, but a series of leaks have emerged that give us a good idea of how he will line-up.
Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo is set to be included in Tuchel's squad alongside Eberechi Eze, Jarell Quansah, John Stones, Tino Livramento, Ivan Toney, Jordan Henderson, Dan Burn and Noni Madueke.
Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins has also been selected by Tuchel, according to The Mirror, while teammates Morgan Rodgers and Ezri Konsa are also expected to feature following a superb campaign for Unai Emery's side.
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On the other hand, there have been some notable omissions. Phil Foden will miss out on England's 26-man squad for the World Cup alongside Cole Palmer, who has also struggled for form this season.
Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White, who has been one of the Premier League's standout performers in recent months, has also been left out, according to The Telegraph.
His absence has caused a huge amount of reaction on social media, with many criticising Tuchel for his decision to leave one of Europe's most in-form players at home, despite scoring 17 goals this season.
Another controversial omission is Manchester United defender Harry Maguire, who remains the only player to express his disappointment publicly after the news emerged online.
In a statement to talkSPORT, Maguire said: "I was confident I could have played a major part this summer for my country after the season I’ve had. I’ve been left shocked and gutted by the decision. I wish the players all the best."
Other names expected to miss out include Jarrod Bowen, Lewis Hall, Luke Shaw, Levi Colwill, Adam Wharton, Fikayo Tomori, Djed Spence and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
A list of players who have reportedly missed out on Thomas Tuchel's 26-man England squad
Cole Palmer (Chelsea)
Phil Foden (Man City)
Harry Maguire (Man Utd)
Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest)
Jarrod Bowen (West Ham)
Lewis Hall (Newcastle)
Luke Shaw (Man Utd)
Levi Colwill (Chelsea)
Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace)
Fikayo Tomori (AC Milan)
Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds)
Djed Spence (Spurs)
Phil Foden misses out on World Cup squad after poor campaign
It has been a difficult season for Foden. The 25-year-old has scored 10 goals in 49 appearances for Manchester City this season, but the most recent of those goals came back in December.
As a result of his dip in form, the midfielder has fallen down the pecking order under Pep Guardiola, who recently said Foden would "explode" once he rediscovers his love of football.
“I’d say I had a good half-a-season, first-half of the season, and dropped off a bit,” Foden admitted this month. “And I struggled to find my way into the team, it happens with great players around you, quality players."
Despite his lack of starts, Foden was handed a place in Tuchel's squad for friendlies against Uruguay and Japan in April but again, he struggled for large parts and was subbed off before the hour mark in both games.
Tuchel later admitted the midfielder was not guaranteed to make England's World Cup squad. “Phil tried everything,” he said. “I would say he was excellent in camp but he struggles to show it on the pitch."
"He didn’t have a lot of minutes for City recently," added Tuchel. "Then he came to camp with the brightest smile and was so good in training and I thought he will just surprise us and will play with the same verve and excitement. But, yeah, he struggles to have the full impact.”
Foden, who has 49 caps for his country, has shown glimpses in a City shirt of late. He assisted the first two goals in their 3-0 victory over Crystal Palace on May 13 and Guardiola was hugely impressed.
But on Thursday evening, it emerged that Foden will miss out on England's 26-man squad.
Thoughts on Tuchel's decisions? Let us know in the comments.
Topics: England, Thomas Tuchel, FIFA World Cup
Jack Kenmare