“We’ve played for big clubs…”: Harry Maguire explains Tuchel’s bizarre decision to snub Shaw for a second time

Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has given his views on England manager Thomas Tuchel’s decision to replace the injured Tino Livramento with Trevoh Chalobah. The 33 year old is one of the first victims of the German manager’s ruthless approach, having been left out of the Three Lions squad for the 2026 World Cup. Maguire was aghast at the decision, and took to social media to vent his disappointment, prompting Tuchel to explain his decision. The German manager sprung another surprise this week following Livramento’s unfortunate injury. Although Luke Shaw was available as a like-for-like replacement for the Newcastle United man, Tuchel opted to call up Chelsea centre-back Chalobah instead. The move raised quite a few eyebrows, and Tuchel recently explain his decision. Tuchel has explained his decision Speaking at a pre-match press conference ahead of England’s game against Croatia, Tuchel explained: “He (Livramento) was a key player, and in good shape, and available for both sides for us as a full-back. We called Trevoh Chalobah because then we free up Jarell Quansah as a full-back on both sides.” “Djed Spence can also play as a full-back on both sides, so Trevoh comes as a centre-back alternative and he gives us full coverage in the back four.” Nevertheless, the move was questioned by United legend Wayne Rooney, who has previously hailed Shaw as the most improved player last season. The 30 year old started all 38 games in the Premier League in the recently concluded campaign, becoming only the fifth Red Devils player in the Premier League era to do so. Luke Shaw Stats: 2025/26 Season CompetitionAppearancesGoalsAssistsYellow CardsRed CardsMinutes Played Premier League38119-3,233′ Total38119-3,233′ Source: Transfermarkt. Maguire has now attempted to assess the reasoning behind the decision. Maguire insists Tuchel selected the safe bet Since missing out on the plane across the Atlantic, Maguire has bagged an off-the-pitch gig at the World Cup, joining the Rest is Football podcast’s coverage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He recently revealed how he learned of his World Cup snub via a FaceTime call from Tuchel, and has now shed light on the Chalobah call. Speaking on the latest episode of the podcast, available on Netflix, Maguire insisted that Tuchel opted for Chalobah to avoid excessive media scrutiny. He said: “No, honestly, when someone drops out like that, I do believe as a squad that you want to call someone up with the minimum of fuss.” “No real media attention to it, no disruption to the camp. So I do believe that when someone did get injured, I don’t think that Trent would have ever been called up to come in.” “Because you know the questions and everything will be about Trent when a big game is about Croatia. If you called me up to the camp, it would be about me a lot, Luke Shaw the same because we’ve been to previous tournaments and we’ve played for big clubs.” “And I think that’s what you want when you’re bringing someone in on so-called standby. No, congratulations to Trevoh. I hope he does well.” Final Thoughts Perhaps Maguire could have been selected instead of Chalobah to replace Livramento had he not publicly criticised Tuchel’s decision to overlook him in the first place. While that will never be known, United fans will not mind his absence at the World Cup, given that the veteran defender can be fresh for next season. Featured image by Alex Livesey/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 Deepungsu Pandit Deepungsu has been a Manchester United fan since 2000. In his playing days, he was an attacking midfielder with a proclivity for the back heel. Right now, however, he prefers to operate as a regista. Deepungsu has been writing about the Red Devils, Football, and other things since 2009. He has worked for over seven years with Sportskeeda, writing football reviews, opinions and news articles. Deepungsu also maintains a blog, The Thinking Me, where he writes about life and things that interest him. His favourite Manchester United player is Paul Scholes.