England player's performance in 'secret World Cup game' gives Thomas Tuchel major headache

Thomas Tuchel is facing a difficult decision regarding his starting lineup vs Ghana after an England star impressed during a secret match in training.

On Wednesday evening England got their 2026 World Cup campaign off to a perfect start with an impressive win over Croatia in a six goal thriller at the Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

A brace from captain Harry Kane and goals from Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford secured the three points in the 4-2 win, providing a major boost to the hopes of finishing top of the group.

England face Ghana in their second group stage fixture on Tuesday evening in Foxborough, Massachusetts with a win confirming a place in the knockout stages.

Ahead of the match, England boss Tuchel has put his side through rigorous training including a secret match against Major League Soccer side Sporting Kansas City at their Swope Soccer Village training ground on Thursday afternoon.

Less than 24 hours after the win over Croatia, the fixture allowed Tuchel to give crucial minutes to the players who didn't make it onto the pitch vs Croatia.

And England continued to impress as they comfortably beat the MLS side 5-1, with one player producing a standout performance that will no doubt have been noticed by Tuchel.

Al Ahli striker Ivan Toney, who was perhaps the biggest surprise inclusion in Tuchel's 26-man England squad, scored a hat-trick during a training match.

Although nobody would expect Tuchel to drop Kane in order to make way for Toney in England's starting team against Ghana, such a dominant performance could leave Tuchel with a headache as he tries to figure out how to ensure the former Brentford star is involved on Tuesday.

READ MORE: Thomas Tuchel begs FIFA to make urgent World Cup change after England's first win

That being said, Tuchel already outlined exactly what role he believes Toney's role in his Three Lions squad is when asked about his surprise inclusion last month, and it could explain exactly what we can expect from the striker against Ghana.

Tuchel said: “He can start for us but I don’t see him as a starter. His role is to finish matches for us. He is, in this case, part of a special operations team. He knows that and that’s his role.

"Off the pitch, he is glue. He is someone who connects with everyone very, very well.”

Jude Bellingham v Morgan Rogers debate continues for Thomas Tuchel

But Toney's inclusion isn't the only major decision that Tuchel is facing ahead of England's match against Ghana, as questions will once again be raised over who should start between Jude Bellingham and Morgan Rogers.

Rogers also got on the scoresheet during England's 5-1 win over Sporting Kansas City, with Ollie Watkins netting the other goal in the training match.

Many had expected the Aston Villa superstar to get the nod over Bellingham during England's opener, but Tuchel instead opted for Bellingham's big game experience for his country.

The decision clearly paid off as the Real Madrid midfielder scored a crucial goal to put England ahead once again just minutes into the second half, no doubt inspiring the confidence that led to their fourth goal, putting the game to bed later in the half.

However, following Rogers' goal in the training match, Tuchel may once again have to make a tough call over when selecting which man deserves to start against Ghana on Tuesday.