Maguire last featured for England in September 2024 under caretaker manager Lee Carsley, and has not been called up by Tuchel in any of his previous squads since taking the job at the start of 2025. The German head coach has previously given his reasons for snubbing the 33-year-old, pointing to his lack of form and the difficulty of his position within Ruben Amorim's back-three system, noting that he saw Marc Guehi and Ezri Konsa as being ahead of the United defender at the time.
That picture has changed in 2026. Since Carrick replaced Amorim in January, Maguire has started every league fixture, been a constant presence at the heart of United's defence, and been publicly backed by his manager on multiple occasions. With 64 caps and 12 World Cup appearances to his name, his leadership heading into the major tournament this summer is a quality Tuchel may not be able to overlook. Carrick, speaking ahead of United's trip to Bournemouth, made no secret of his hope that Maguire and his United team-mates would be rewarded. "I haven't been in touch [with Tuchel]. For the boys, I'd love to see them picked for this one and for the summer. I don't have any influence on that, but the way they're playing, they have put themselves in the picture and given themselves a chance. They are playing well enough to warrant a place."