England continue their World Cup campaign against Panama tonight, aiming to secure top spot in Group B. Thomas Tuchel's side are among the favourites to lift the trophy, but the manager has left several high-profile players at home, including Cole Palmer, Harry Maguire and Phil Foden.
Cole Palmer: The biggest shock omission
The Chelsea star's exclusion was the most surprising, given his standout performances in previous seasons. Tuchel opted for Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze in the No.10 role, with Noni Madueke as Bukayo Saka's understudy on the right wing.
Explaining his decision, Tuchel said: 'I think he suffers from a lack of individual form within his club. He was not as decisive or as influential as he was in the last seasons, throughout the whole season. Second of all, he was not very influential with us. His record with us was just not outstanding, not good enough to make him 'no matter what, he is coming'.'
Tuchel added: 'He had to pull out injured several times, when he was in camp he did not have the impact that we all wanted to push him for. It was one of the most difficult phone calls and obviously one of the most prominent names that we leave out, but I refuse to bring players for the name and I refuse to then play them out of position just to give them something.'
Harry Maguire: Social media backlash after snub
Maguire had a strong season at Manchester United and earned an England recall for friendlies in March. However, he was left out as Tuchel selected Marc Guehi, John Stones, Ezri Konsa, Dan Burn, Jarell Quansah and Trevoh Chalobah as centre-back options.
Maguire voiced his displeasure on social media before the official squad announcement, saying: 'I was confident I could of played a major part this summer for my country after the season I've had. I've loved nothing more than putting that shirt on and representing my country over the years.' His wife, mother and siblings also criticised the decision publicly.
Tuchel responded: 'I was a bit surprised, but I respect his personality a lot. He had an outstanding season. I can see the disappointment. Still, I was a bit surprised, because we had a private conversation in which he had the chance to express his feelings, which he did. The decision is that we stood firmly with our central defenders that carried us through September, October, November.'
Phil Foden: Form drop-off costs place
Foden's decline in form for Manchester City in the second half of last season made his omission less surprising. His last Premier League goal for City came in December, with only three assists since then. Tuchel noted that Foden 'lost momentum in a crucial moment of the season' and that 'we could see glimpses here and there but not a lot of evidence'.
Tuchel added: 'With Phil it's a little bit different because Phil was excellent in camp for us. He was not only excellent in training, but also off training. It hurt me a lot to call him and to tell him this decision. I could see in his reaction how much it affects him.'
