Former Premier League manager Sam Allardyce has said that Manchester United centre-back Harry Maguire should have been picked ahead of Newcastle United ace Dan Burn in England’s World Cup squad.
Maguire had an impressive 2025/26 Premier League season with the Red Devils. He had mixed fortunes during the first half of the campaign after an untimely hamstring injury, but he was brilliant during the back end, delivering several standout performances.
The 33-year-old became almost ever-present in the right centre-back role during the season run-in and was rewarded for his consistent showing with a new contract until June 2027 with a 12-month option.
Despite this, England head coach Thomas Tuchel decided to leave Maguire out of the World Cup squad. He chose to go with some surprise names, such as Bayer Leverkusen defender Jarrel Quansah.
Speaking on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, Allardyce said that he would have personally gone with Maguire instead of Burn, who has had a difficult season with the Magpies.
He said: “I’d have Harry Maguire instead of Dan Burn. Harry Maguire was the backbone of the England side for a long time.
“I’ve watched him play since he got back into the Man United team, and he’s been one of the reasons the stability has been brought back to the club.
“Defensively, they’re now stable, and that’s allowed them to win more games.”
“The other side to Maguire is that he is, without a shadow of doubt, one of the best passers of the ball as a centre-half in the country.
“There’s always a question mark about his pace, but Bobby Moore was very slow and read the game exceptionally well.
“If you put him alongside someone quick like Marc Guehi, you’ve got a decent combination there.”
“I’m not being unfair here, but I’d say he’s a better choice than Dan Burn, who’s had a difficult time at Newcastle this year.”
Maguire should have made England’s World Cup squad
The former Leicester City man stepped up big time for the Red Devils and played a huge role in their turnaround under manager Michael Carrick during the second half of the season.
He earned a place in the Three Lions’ squad during the March international break, but Tuchel opted for the players who helped the country in competitive games over the past 12 months.
Maguire said that he was shocked and gutted by the decision. We are surprised too. If we compare him to Burn, it appears a no-brainer choice for Maguire to make England’s World Cup.
The Red Devils star had a passing accuracy of 86 percent in the Premier League in 2025/26. He won 70 percent of his duels, with five clearances, three recoveries and one tackle per game.
In comparison, Burn completed just 79 percent of his passes in the top-flight campaign. He won only 55 percent of his duels, with five clearances, three recoveries and one tackle per outing.
Maguire was better in terms of distribution as well as duel success rate. He was likewise impressive with his ball control and lost possession just 5.6 times per game, much lower than Burn (10.1).
Maguire has likewise been a better set-piece threat than Burn in his league career. With the corner-kicking prowess of Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, England will miss Maguire’s goal threat.
As Allardyce said, Maguire should have made the England squad ahead of Burn.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com