Gary Lineker said Thomas Tuchel's decision to leave Lewis Hall out of England's 26-man World Cup squad was hard to understand, after the left-back had put together a strong Premier League campaign for Newcastle United. Hall, who had been used by Tuchel in friendlies against Uruguay and Japan, was among the most notable names missing when the squad was confirmed.
That omission has quickly become the talking point around the England World Cup Squad, because Hall was not a fringe figure making up numbers. Throughout the current Premier League campaign, he had excelled at left-back, and his absence makes the balance of Tuchel's defensive choices look more deliberate than accidental. For England, every place in a 26-man squad carries a cost, and Hall's is one of the clearest examples of selection cutting across form.
Lineker did not hide his surprise. He said he found Hall's omission baffling, but also accepted Tuchel's basic argument that squad selection is not only about picking the most talented players. It is about putting a team together, and that is where the disagreement sits: one side sees a player in form being overlooked, while the manager sees a group built for the demands of the tournament.
The same argument runs through the other big omissions. Lineker also criticised the absence of Cole Palmer, saying he gives England something different and is a moment player, while Harry Maguire was left out as Tuchel chose Dan Burn to provide veteran leadership in the heart of the backline. Palmer had been the player of the tournament at the Club World Cup 12 months before this selection, which only sharpened the sense that England were leaving out recognised match-winners as well as established names.
For now, the question is not whether Hall, Palmer or Maguire could have made the squad on talent alone. Tuchel has already shown he is willing to prioritise balance over reputation, and the final list makes that clear. England will take the squad to the United States for the World Cup, and the selection debate will travel with them.
