Maguire Comments on His Exclusion from England's World Cup Squad

After England coach Thomas Tuchel decided to exclude defender Harry Maguire from the national team's squad for the World Cup, the decision surprised the player who expressed his disappointment on social media.

Maguire said he was confident in his ability to play a significant role with the team this summer after the season he had.

Maguire added in his message: “I was confident that I would be an important part of my country this summer after the season I had, and I was shocked and disappointed by the decision. There is nothing I loved more than wearing the national team jersey and representing my country.” He also wished the other players success in the tournament.

This exclusion comes despite Maguire's strong return recently with Manchester United, where he started in 14 of the last 16 Premier League matches under Michael Carrick's management, after losing his place earlier during Ruben Amorim's tenure. He also returned to the national team in March and performed well against Uruguay and came on as a substitute against Japan.

Tuchel had hinted after the Uruguay match that Maguire was still behind in the pecking order of central defenders within the team, pointing out that there are four defenders ahead of him in the choices, confirming that what the player offers is “stable, strong, and useful in set-pieces,” but that wasn't enough to guarantee his place in the final squad.