Who Should Be England’s Number 10 at the World Cup? | OneFootball

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is fast approaching, and England manager Thomas Tuchel has some huge decisions to make. Former boss Gareth Southgate came in for major criticism from supporters for continually picking his “favourites,” even when they were out of form. Now, the current gaffer needs to decide the most appropriate plan of action if he wishes to end 60 years of hurt: Go with current form or trust the big names.

So far throughout the Tuchel era, he has tended to go with the latter. The likes of Morgan Rogers, Ezri Konsa, and Elliot Anderson have all been regulars over the last two years, and they have served their manager well, helping amass a perfect eight wins from eight in qualifying without conceding a single goal. It’s a run that has prompted online betting sites to sit up and take notice.

England’s World Cup Hopes

The latest Bovada World Cup betting odds, three months out from the tournament getting underway, list England as the 11/2 second-favourite to leave North America as champions, with only Spain (9/2) considered more likely. But with the likes of Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw returning to form and Jude Bellingham returning to fitness, will Tuchel continue to stick with the players who have led him to this position, or will he twist in order to accommodate the bigger names?

The biggest debate right now surrounding the England starting line-up for their opening game of the tournament against Croatia on June 17th in Dallas is over the number ten position, the attacking midfielder positioned behind striker and captain Harry Kane. The aforementioned Rogers has been Tuchel’s man throughout his reign thus far, but with stars such as Bellingham, Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, and Eberechi Eze all in contention, the position is certainly up for grabs.

So, which direction will Tuchel head in? Let’s take a look at each of their cases.

Morgan Rogers

Morgan Rogers has been Aston Villa’s driving force this season, registering ten goals and seven assists as he looks to help Aston Villa to the Premier League top four as well as Europa League glory. For England, his return has been much more modest, just two goal involvements in ten appearances. However, Tuchel remains steadfast in his belief that the former Manchester City youngster is a key piece of the puzzle, starting him in four of the last five games, effectively sidelining Bellingham from his favourite position.

While his rivals for a starting berth in North America offer one thing or another, Rogers has everything: goals, pressing, carrying, and an insatiable will to impose himself. It is that relentlessness that has seemingly caught the eye. The Villa man offers more off the ball than each of Palmer, Eze, and Foden, while he offers more creativity than Bellingham offensively. He’s the favourite to start against Croatia.

Jude Bellingham

Yes, Rogers has been excellent for both club and country, but can you really leave Jude Bellingham on the sidelines at the World Cup? The Real Madrid man is a generational talent operating at the world’s biggest club, and while he has struggled with both form and fitness over the last year, many still consider him to be the first name on the team sheet, alongside Harry Kane.

The young prodigy was England’s talisman at Euro 2024, netting a winner against Serbia in the opening game, as well as that stunning 96th-minute overhead kick against Slovakia to keep the Three Lions in the tournament. He is a maverick, capable of delivering the spectacular in his country’s hour of need. He has proven time and again that he’s the man for the big occasion. Can the same be said about Rogers?

Cole Palmer

England cannot afford to go to a World Cup without their most naturally gifted player in the starting lineup. We saw at Euro 2024 that Cole Palmer is also a man who can deliver under the harshest of pressure. He assisted Ollie Watkins’ last-minute winner in the semifinals against the Netherlands. He scored the equaliser in the final against Spain before Mikel Oyarzabal’s heartbreaking late winner.

He also netted a stunning brace for Chelsea in the FIFA Club World Cup final against Paris Saint-Germain, a game that took place in the same stadium that this summer’s international World Cup final will be. Could that muscle memory be crucial? Injuries have complicated his path to Tuchel’s starting XI, but the cold truth is this: no player in England’s squad conjures moments of pure, match-winning magic quite like Palmer. The question is whether that outweighs everything that both Rogers and Bellingham bring to the table.

Eberechi Eze

Eberechi Eze’s move to Arsenal has only amplified what we already knew — this man is unplayable on his day. Eight goals and six assists operating at a Champions League club for the first time and thriving. His five goals across two games against rival Spurs – the team he was supposed to sign for in the summer before the Gunners came calling at the eleventh hour – reminded us that when the former Crystal Palace man is in full flow, there is no more devastating attacker in Tuchel’s entire selection pool. He will be in the squad, but seeing him start in the number ten role against Croatia would be quite the shock.

Phil Foden

People forget that just two years ago, Phil Foden was the best player in England and arguably Europe. That player does not simply vanish. His Champions League pedigree, his ability to ghost into pockets and produce the unthinkable in tight spaces — these are precisely the qualities that define tournament football. However, his decline over the last two years cannot simply be ignored, and it would be hard for Tuchel to justify selecting the Manchester City man ahead of his four positional rivals.

England have two international friendlies against Uruguay and Japan in the March international break next week to do a final tune-up, with the squad expected to be announced later on Friday. All eyes will be on the squad announcement to see if he gives Foden a chance.