Thomas Tuchel reveals why Man Utd star was left out of first England squad | Football

Both form and fitness kept Harry Maguire out of the latest England squad, but Thomas Tuchel insists the Manchester United defender remains in contention.

The new Three Lions boss won his first two matches in charge, picking up low-key victories over Albania and Latvia over the current international break.

Tuchel named Ezri Konsa, Marc Guehi, Dan Burn, Levi Colwill and Jarell Quansah among his squad as centre-back options.

Even with the likes of John Stones unavailable, Maguire did not make the cut, despite the Red Devils defender boasting 64 England caps on his CV.

The former Chelsea manager explained in some detail why he chose not to pick the 32-year-old, with a lack of match fitness and also struggles with Manchester United coming into the equation.

The door remains open, though, for the Three Lions veteran who took the news with good grace.

Asked about Maguire, Tuchel said: ‘I spoke to all of the players who were not on the list to give my direct feedback on my decision.

‘It was a close decision. We chose Marc Guéhi and Ezri Konsa. At the moment, I think they are a little bit in a better rhythm and deserve to be with us. Two right-footers in central defence and the rest were left-footers in the centre of defence.

‘The second reason was that Harry was not fit when we did the nomination. It was presumed that he can play but I didn’t want to take the risk to nominate the player which we then have to take care [with] … constantly need to assess whether he can do a full training session or half training session.

‘We did the same with Reece James and only because of the feedback that he could do every session in full was the reason we brought him into camp.

‘Harry knows that. It’s not so easy for him at the club at the moment. He plays in a back three on top of it but he’s a top professional and he’s very important for England.

‘He took it unbelievably well. He wrote me messages to wish us good luck and you see what a person he is. He is a top guy and he will always be in contention.’

Aston Villa’s Konsa started both the 2-0 win over Albania and the 3-0 victory over Latvia, with Burn partnering him for the former and Guehi the latter.

There is a long way to go until the 2026 World Cup and the centre-back pairing if England indeed reach the tournament could be any number of combinations.

The likes of Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite and Liverpool’s Joe Gomez will also hope to be in contention in the squads to come.

Maguire is expected to be available again for Manchester United’s next outing at Nottingham Forest on 1 April.

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