Harry Maguire appears to be the fifth-ranked England centre-back in the eyes of head coach Thomas Tuchel.
The Manchester United defender earned his first Three Lions call-up since September 2024 in the most recent squad selection.
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Maguire played the entirety of the 1-1 friendly draw against Uruguay on Friday night, with Fikayo Tomori his partner in the starting XI.
However, his hopes of making the England squad for the upcoming World Cup seem to have taken a huge hit.
Tuchel has declared Ezri Konsa, Marc Guehi, John Stones and Trevoh Chalobah are ahead of Maguire in his centre-back pecking order.
Tuch of reality
“I got exactly what I thought, solid, solid central defender play,” he said on Maguire’s display against Uruguay. “That’s what he does.
“Very good on the ball, very calm, strong in the air and in the weapon for set-pieces.
“I haven’t changed my mind but I see other players I like to start for us, I see other players ahead with a different profile.
“I see Ezri Konsa ahead, I see Marc Guehi ahead. It’s no secret. I see Trevoh Chalobah on the level of mobility was slightly ahead of him.
“Also John Stones, but he had injuries, so he needed to come to camp.
“I needed to meet him in person to see how he acts within the group. It will be interesting now to see how he acts within the group. He will stay with us.
“Like I said, he has an asset, of course, that he can also be super important in a tournament, in knockout football, in defending a lead and chasing a game with crosses and long throw-ins and set-pieces.”
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Tuchel was also asked if he would name Maguire in his squad for the World Cup if he was required to select it now.
“If, if, if,” he replied. “We don’t need to name the squad tomorrow. He did a good game.
“He did what he does for Man United. He did it straight away. I’m very happy with him. To be honest, I haven’t changed my mind. I got everything I expected from him.
“If I have to name it tomorrow, we have a lot of injuries, he could be in it. Who else would be there in the centre of defence?”
What next for Maguire?
Maguire could earn his 66th England cap on Tuesday night when they face Japan in their second and final friendly, live on eSPORTY.
It was announced on Saturday evening that eight players are leaving the squad prior to the match.
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Both Tomori and John Stones are departing, with the latter picking up an issue in training earlier this week.
Konsa and Guehi have now joined up with the squad, with Dan Burn also available for selection.
