Eight England stars are ‘dead certs’ for Thomas Tuchel at the World Cup – not Marcus Rashford | OneFootball

Theo Walcott reckons Marcus Rashford is a “dead cert” to start for England at the World Cup. He isn’t, but eight of his teammates are…

With it just a week until England get their World Cup campaign underway against Croatia, it is now the time for fans, journalists and ex-footballers to play manager and select Thomas Tuchel’s best team for the tournament.

By now, Tuchel likely already has his best XI in his head, and we should get more of a glimpse of what that looks like when they face Costa Rica in their final friendly on Wednesday night.

Naturally, Tuchel’s decisions will divide opinion, as they have done already with his squad selections. But certain positions are more up for grabs than others.

The left wing position is one area that remains inconclusive, with Rashford and Anthony Gordon sharing turns from the start without making it their own.

But former England international Walcott is certain that Rashford should start ahead of Gordon and others, claiming the Manchester United outcast should be a “dead cert to start” after his loan spell at Barcelona.

“Rashford this year has been outstanding,” Walcott said on The Wayne Rooney Show.

“I’ve watched him quite a lot. I found the love of watching Barcelona again and took more of an interest with Rashford going out there. It’s been great for him.

“He would be a dead cert to start for me. The way he’s played, that freedom, that enjoyment. We want to see that smile.”

Walcott added: “Rashford’s going to be a major part of this tournament. I’m looking forward to watching him. Out of all the players, I’m most psyched about him.

“I think he’s brave to go abroad – it’s great when English players go. I wasn’t brave enough, but for him to do that shows good character.”

Marcus Rashford is not a “dead cert” to start, but eight other England players are…

It is certainly not as cut and dry between Rashford and Gordon as Walcott suggests it is, even though the 2025/26 Barcelona loanee arguably produced the better form of the two players this season.

Tuchel has openly stated how much of a fan he is of Rashford, but you are often left wanting more after he puts on an England shirt.

The same can be said of Gordon based on his recent England displays, but there is an argument that he is more tailored to get the best out of Harry Kane with his tireless work rate and his use of pace in behind.

Regardless, neither player has shown enough in an England shirt lately to become a “dead cert”, and there is also uncertainty in two other positions.

You could similarly flip a coin between Jude Bellingham and Morgan Rogers to be England’s starting No.10, though you have to feel that Aston Villa’s star man has the edge due to Tuchel’s contrasting treatment of them since replacing Gareth Southgate.

And at centre-back, there is a straight battle between John Stones and Ezri Konsa to be Marc Guehi’s centre-back partner.

Were this decision based on form and game time, it would be a no-contest after Konsa’s latest season filled with 7/10 displays, while he has struck up a handy partnership with Guehi for England.

However, despite only playing 439 minutes in the Premier League this season, Stones is in the England squad for good reason; he and Guehi arguably remain Tuchel’s only top-tier centre-backs when they are fit and firing.

So, as harsh as it would be on Konsa, Stones should be ‘expected’ to sneak into England’s starting XI.

And thankfully for Tuchel, the rest of his starting XI picks itself…

Despite the wrong form of others, Jordan Pickford’s remains firmly placed as England’s No.1 goalkeeper, and Guehi will lead the defence in front of him after making a huge impact for Man City since January.

At right-back, Reece James, if we ignore the fact that he will inevitably get injured at some stage, is England’s best full-back and will start, while Tuchel’s squad selection means it would be a big surprise if worthy Premier League Young Player of the Year winner, Nico O’Reilly, does not complete the defence.

In the remaining spots, it has been clear for months that Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson will partner each other in midfield, while Bukayo Saka will provide support for Kane from the right wing.

And seeing as everyone else is picking their England XI, here is what it *actually* should be: Pickford; James, Stones, Guehi, O’Reilly; Rice, Anderson; Saka, Rogers, Gordon; Kane.