Harry Maguire and Kobbie Mainoo have been called up to the latest England squad and both players now look certain to make the plane for the United States this summer
Manchester United defender Harry Maguire celebrates a goal
Harry Maguire has been included in an England squad for the first time since September 2024(Image: Getty Images)
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Harry Maguire has not just been recalled for friendly engagements with Uruguay and Japan, he has been seconded for World Cup battle. Fitness permitting, he is on the plane to the United States. And Maguire’s third World Cup campaign will be a well-earned reward for a player who has been - and always will be - significantly under-appreciated.
Thomas Tuchel has not brought Maguire back into the England camp for a close-quarters check on his form and fitness - he knows what the Manchester United centre-half brings to the table. Everyone knows what the Manchester United centre-half brings to the table.
He brings reliability, he brings character, he brings aerial excellence, he brings a threat at attacking set-pieces, he brings under-rated accomplishment with his feet. And he brings resilience.
HEREHEREHEREHERE.
His last England cap came on September 7, 2024, in a Nations League game in Dublin. Lee Carsley was in charge for that game but when Tuchel took over, it seemed like the start of a new era. And, unjustly, Maguire has been widely seen as old school.
But anyone who looks back at his performances in three tournaments for England - World Cup 2018, Euro 2020 (in 2021) and World Cup 2022 - will see a player totally at ease with international football. When he took over, Tuchel would have known that.
Kobbie Mainoo celebrates a goal
Kobbie Mainoo is back in the England fold after an 18-month absence(Image: AFP or licensors)
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But what he wanted to see was a Maguire who was injury-free, settled and happy at his club. And that is what Tuchel now has at his disposal.
For that, the England manager owes a big thank you to Michael Carrick. Just as he owes the United boss a big thank-you for handing him back a purring Kobbie Mainoo, who was also last seen in an England shirt in that game in Ireland 18 months ago.
In the run-up to the World Cup, Carrick has given Tuchel a ‘new’ player. He has given him someone who has big-tournament experience, who has played in a European Championship final. He has given him a midfield option that Tuchel must have thought he had lost when Ruben Amorim consigned Mainoo to some sort of club wilderness.
Chiedozie Ogbene is challenged by Harry Maguire of England during the UEFA Nations League 2024/25.
Harry Maguire was last seen in an England jersey in Dublin 18 months ago(Image: Michael Regan - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
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There is a school of thought that does not place unchecked importance on a player’s club form when it comes to international selection.
The theory goes that just because Amorim had an issue with Mainoo, it should not mean the player has suddenly become unfit for international purpose. But Tuchel, and any international manager, wants players who are confident and in a happy club place.
And in Maguire and Mainoo, that is what the England manager now has. As with Maguire, Mainoo is not on some sort of trial period over these next 10 days.
Kobbie Mainoo and Michael Carrick in training
Michael Carrick has helped get Kobbie Mainoo's international career back on track(Image: Getty Images)
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The capacity of Maguire and Mainoo to perform well for England is there as a matter of record. And in the United representatives, Tuchel will also see two players who should be fresher than most when the World Cup starts, three players with comparatively few miles on this season’s clock.
With Carrick continuing to have such a positive impact, Tuchel will also have two players who should be going into a tournament summer on the back of a positive end to the season. Both are worthy of their England places and could play major parts in England’s World Cup campaign. And for that, Tuchel owes Carrick a debt of gratitude.