England: Allardyce hits out at Tuchel for making wrong decisions with Man Utd duo for two reasons | OneFootball

Sam Allardyce thinks England boss Thomas Tuchel was wrong to omit Manchester United duo Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw from his World Cup squad.

Tuchel has named his 26-man England squad for this summer’s World Cup, and he has been criticised for some of his decisions.

The Three Lions boss has not been afraid to make bold selection decisions in this role, and he has favoured squad morale over individual quality for his World Cup squad.

Man Utd standout Kobbie Mainoo is back in the squad after shining for the Red Devils in the second half of the 2025/26 campaign, but Maguire and Shaw were unfortunate to miss out.

And Allardyce thinks Maguire and Shaw should be in the squad, with the latter player said to be deserving of a spot ahead of Tottenham Hotspur’s Djed Spence.

“Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw should be in the England squad based on form and experience,” Allardyce said on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast.

“Shaw, for the first time in a while, has played 38 games for Manchester United, and he plays equally as good at centre-half as he does at left back. He has a huge amount of international experience at tournament football, and he’s fit as a fiddle.

“Shaw has proven his fitness and is such an international talent in terms of what he’s done before. I’d absolutely have him instead of Djed Spence.”

“I’m not being unfair here, but I’d say he’s a better choice…”

Allardyce has also argued that Maguire should be in the England squad ahead of Newcastle United’s Dan Burn.

“Harry Maguire was the backbone of the England side for a long time,” Allardyce added.

“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.

“Based on who is in the squad ahead of him, Maguire is a better option. 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.”