Harry Maguire and Kobbie Mainoo will play for England tonight and the Man Utd pair need to impress Thomas Tuchel to move a step closer to the World Cup.
Kobbie Mainoo
Kobbie Mainoo trains at Wembley on Thursday night
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Had things worked out a little differently, Harry Maguire and Kobbie Mainoo might already be playing for Thomas Tuchel. The German had conversations with the Manchester United hierarchy about replacing Erik ten Hag in the summer of 2024, and at one point looked likely to take over at Old Trafford.
In the end, United kept faith with Ten Hag, handed him a new contract, and then inevitably sacked him anyway four months later. How different history may have turned out had Tuchel been appointed instead, changing the direction not just for United, but also for England
Tuchel is now in charge of the national team and is enjoying it so much that he recently signed a new contract, rather than put himself back in the frame for the United job, which is available once again. There have been suggestions that the conversations in 2024 and the direction United took put the 52-year-old off the idea of taking the job.
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It's actually taken him a year to pick any United players for the Three Lions, although that is almost certainly more to do with the patchy form of the English contingent at Old Trafford during Ruben Amorim's era. In naming a 35-man squad for friendlies against Uruguay and Japan this break, Tuchel included Harry Maguire and Kobbie Mainoo.
Both are now in contention to make the World Cup squad, but they know that is far from guaranteed. That 35 will be cut to 26 for the summer tournament, and Maguire and Mainoo are very much in the audition stage.
Tuchel's split camp for this break means the United pair will play against Uruguay tonight, but on Saturday, a group of 11 regulars will return to the squad, and some will be cut. If you're sent home on Saturday, it will surely signal that the writing is on the wall.
That adds an extra layer of jeopardy to what would otherwise be a pretty low-key March friendly at Wembley. Tuchel has fostered a sense of competition within his squad and has told players the position they are being considered for and who they are likely to be competing against.
Maguire and Mainoo have returned to the ranks because of their excellent club form recently, but they will know this isn't a friendly you can cruise through. What they have done at St George's Park this week will go into Tuchel's thinking, particularly around the group, with the England head coach placing a lot of faith in its dynamics.
But you will need to impress on the pitch as well and for Maguire and Mainoo, that opportunity comes tonight. If they remain with the squad for the game against Japan on Tuesday, then that will be the first hurdle cleared.
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