Wayne Rooney criticises Thomas Tuchel’s Kyle Walker snub live on BBC | OneFootball

Kyle Walker is preparing for the new Championship season with Burnley

Burnley are preparing for their return to the Championship for next season.

The Clarets have yet to officially appoint a new first team head coach after dismissing Scott Parker in April when their relegation from the Premier League was confirmed.

The Lancashire outfit will be hoping to appoint someone capable of guiding the team back to the top flight at the first time of asking.

It is likely to be a busy couple of months at Turf Moor once a coach arrives, as he will want to use the transfer market to shape the squad to his liking.

Key players like Zian Flemming, Jaidon Anthony and Maxime Esteve will also have to determine their futures, with speculation surrounding their position with the club.

But supporters will be hopeful that the likes of Kyle Walker will remain with the first team squad, with Burnley targeting a top two finish in the Championship in 2027.

Wayne Rooney makes Kyle Walker, World Cup claim

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England narrowly avoided an embarrassing defeat to DR Congo in the round of 32 in the World Cup on Wednesday evening.

Following their turnaround in the second half, Wayne Rooney expressed his surprise at Kyle Walker not being called up to Thomas Tuchel’s squad following Tino Livramento’s injury.

The Newcastle defender was replaced by Trevoh Chalobah just days before their opening clash against Croatia, but the former England international has claimed that it should’ve been the Burnley full-back instead - even though he announced his retirement from international football back in March.

“I think the minute Livramento got injured, I think he should have been right on the phone to Kyle Walker,” said Rooney on the BBC.

“Kyle is still more than good enough and more than capable of playing in this England team, so I would have been on the phone to him saying: ‘Listen, we need you here. Can you come out and help us?’ because that could really cost us.”

Walker’s last appearance for England came in a 3-1 defeat to Senegal in a friendly in June 2025 at the City Ground.

The defender earned a total of 96 caps for his country, and he played in two of their qualifiers in this World Cup campaign - he was not called up again by Tuchel however after the Senegal defeat, and he subsequently bowed out of being considered for a Three Lions call-up earlier this year.

The Burnley defender also featured at the 2018 and 2022 editions of the competition, making a total of eight appearances across the two tournaments.

Walker joined the Clarets last summer following their promotion to the Premier League, and he featured on 36 occasions as the team finished 19th in the table.

The 36-year-old has a contract with the Lancashire outfit until June 2027, with the squad returning for pre-season earlier this week.

Kyle Walker’s time with England is over despite Wayne Rooney claims

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The decision to replace Livramento with Chalobah was a surprising one from Tuchel, but not because Walker wasn’t picked, as his performances for Burnley this season didn't really herald a call-up to the national squad.

While he did formally announce his retirement from international football already, there’s no doubt he’d return if selected by Tuchel, especially as it's an opportunity to compete at the World Cup.

But the defender is past his best these days, and England have better-suited options at their disposal, especially as Djed Spence can play on either flank, and Lewis Hall and Luke Shaw were both left at home.

Given the nature of their tournament so far, there’s little evidence to suggest that what the team is missing at the moment is someone like Walker.