Harry Maguire’s England snub: who was right, who was wrong and why – opinion

What is the worst thing ever? It depends on your point of view – for dinosaurs, it was probably a giant asteroid. For Harry Maguire, it seems to be the decision taken by Thomas Tuchel not to include him in the England squad for the World Cup. The 33-year-old has been one of Manchester United’s standout performers this season, and it seemed a fair bet that he would be on the plane to North America next month. But the German, as is his FA-given right, looked elsewhere, instead opting for the likes of Ezri Konsa, Jarell Quansah and Dan Burn at centre-back. Right to be disappointed Maguire is totally right to feel disappointed at his omission; he could hardly have done any more this season, first for Ruben Amorim then for Michael Carrick, to earn the most prestigious of England call-ups. Last year it was goals and guts, this year it’s been leadership and accountability – however you feel about him, the former Leicester City man has played his best football in a United shirt these past twelve months or so. It’s unsurprising, then, that the decision taken by the pragmatist tasked with winning the World Cup for England has been a slap in the face for the big Yorkshireman, just as it would have been for the likes of Phil Foden and Cole Palmer. Poor reaction What is surprising, however, is the response from the Maguire camp. The former United captain was rightly praised for his humility at the club in recent seasons, bouncing back from the top of the transfer list to become arguably the best defender at Old Trafford, standing strong where others around him wilted. That all spoke to a player of integrity and professionalism, which made his little social media whinge yesterday all the more unexpected. I was confident I could of played a major part this summer for my country after the season I’ve had. I’ve been left shocked and gutted by the decision. I’ve loved nothing more than putting that shirt on and representing my country over the years. I wish the players, all the… pic.twitter.com/9X7asAkCFF — Harry Maguire (@HarryMaguire93) May 21, 2026 Circus “I’ve been left shocked and gutted by the decision,” he posted on X before, it must be noted, the squad was even formally announced. Not just shocked, not just gutted, but shocked and gutted – Harry hasn’t taken it well. These are inside thoughts spoken out loud on a public platform, the pomposity of being “left” shocked a clear indication of how furrowed his brow was when mashing his phone with his thumbs. Again, he can be desperately, dismally disappointed – but his decision to act slighted on social media is distinctly unbecoming, and at odds with the calm and collected persona he gives off at United. That his family passionately weighed in moves the situation into the realms of farce. His mother, Zoe, called the decision “disgraceful”, and brother Joe added “this might possibly be the worst decision I’ve ever seen in my life”. Tensions are clearly running high in the Maguire household, a Tuchel-shaped piñata spilling its guts on the floor. Legal troubles Still, you can forgive the Englishman, who has 67 caps for his country, feeling not just frustrated but also more than a little jumpy. The Daily Mail gleefully relay that the prosecutors behind his conviction for assault in Greece in 2020 have long called for him to not be allowed to go to the World Cup. In fact, the newspaper quotes the lawyer for the police officers who claimed they were injured trying to arrest Maguire as stating that “since he now holds a criminal record, it is highly unlikely he would be granted a visa” for the United States. Whether that has fed into Tuchel’s decision at all is unclear, and it’s not been widely reported as a factor – it certainly pales in comparison to the tidal wave of support for the player, who can at least feel vindicated that for the most part the public backs him. Two things can be true at once – you can believe Maguire deserved a spot in the squad, and also that he was wrong to air so publicly quite how personally he has taken not getting one. Featured image by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Joe Ponting Joe has spent more than half his life writing about football and all of it following United. As a child he told a doctor his name was ‘Paul Scholes’, but could never pick a pass like him no matter how much he tried. He cut his teeth working in print media for local newspapers and entered football journalism covering the grassroots game for the Non-League Paper. Here he achieved a career high, interviewing United legend Sir Bobby Charlton to get his views on the lower echelons of the football pyramid. To kill time during international breaks Joe writes album reviews and has strong views on post punk for Plus One Magazine.