Man Utd have three England players in excellent form and Thomas Tuchel might include some of them in his latest squad.
Thomas Tuchel
Thomas Tuchel is yet to pick a Manchester United player in his squad
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Thomas Tuchel has been doing all he can to avoid managing Manchester United players, but his hand might finally be forced when he names his latest England squad on Friday.
Tuchel has twice been in contention to take over at Old Trafford, speaking to Sir Jim Ratcliffe about the job in the summer of 2024 as United considered a change, and he would have been a serious contender this summer had he not signed a contract extension with the Football Association.
The German has taken charge of 10 England games so far but hasn't yet picked a United player in any of his five squads, aside from the on-loan Marcus Rashford.
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That might change this week, when Tuchel names his squad for March friendlies against Japan and Uruguay, the last games before he picks a squad for this summer's World Cup in North America.
So it might turn out that Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Kobbie Mainoo have timed their run to perfection, having spent time out of the international fold during difficulties for the club.
Maguire and Mainoo's last England cap came in September 2024 in a Nations League game against the Republic of Ireland, while Shaw hasn't played since the Euro 2024 final that July.
Tuchel hasn't spoken to Carrick in recent weeks and it is understood he hasn't yet touched base with the three players involved, although he did recently say they were in his thoughts. He has also insisted that his selection isn't down to an issue with United, saying in August that all his calls were "individual decisions".
Maguire could replace Dan Burn in the squad, but might find his competition is his former Three Lions partner John Stones. Both have had their injury problems now and are the wrong side of 30, and Tuchel has made clear his admiration for Stones.
Shaw has been back playing left-back at Old Trafford since the appointment of Carrick. Lewis Hall has been in excellent form for Newcastle in recent weeks and Nico O'Reilly looked to be making the left-back slot his own in November, although he has been playing in midfield for Manchester City in recent weeks.
Mainoo's youth might give him the strongest chance of forcing his way in. Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson have established themselves as the first-choice midfield partnership, but Alex Scott and Adam Wharton could face competition from the Old Trafford academy graduate.
There is also a space in this squad through injury, with Jude Bellingham still on the sidelines at Real Madrid with a hamstring problem. That might present Mainoo with an opportunity to stake his claim this month.
All three have certainly done their bit on club form. They have all started all nine games under Carrick and he is hoping they will be part of the squad, both later this week and for the summer's World Cup.
“For the boys, I'd love to see them picked for this one and obviously picked for the summer," he said. “I don't have any influence on that but certainly the boys, the way they're playing, I think they've put themselves right in the conversation and right in the picture and given themselves a chance.
“So we'll see. I literally don't know any more than you on that one. But the boys are definitely playing well enough to warrant a place for sure. It's just not my decision so we'll have to wait and see.”