Brown Says Tuchel Left Out 3 as Bayern Munich Angle Turns
Wes Brown said Thomas Tuchel made big calls by leaving Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Harry Maguire out of England's World Cup squad, with bayern munich forward Harry Kane still central to the plan. England open against Croatia in Dallas after a perfect qualifying run that raised the bar for what comes next.
Brown on Kane
Brown was direct about Kane's importance. “Harry Kane is crucial for England. He’s just getting better and better with age, with his composure, his intelligence, and I think since becoming captain, it’s pushed him to do even better. If I’m being honest, if he wasn’t English, I’m not sure who would step up to replace him.”
That view fits Kane's numbers this season. He scored 61 goals, and Brown said the England captain makes things look simple because of his intelligence and movement rather than pace or power.
“The most important thing is Kane is enjoying it. He sees things other people don’t. I’ve played against Harry, and at first, I was thinking he’s not going to be difficult for me to mark out of the game, but he scored, because his intelligence is unbelievable. He doesn’t do crazy runs, doesn’t do anything stupid, because he doesn’t need to do anything like that.”
Tuchel's selection calls
The sharper edge in Brown's assessment came with England's squad decisions. “Thomas Tuchel has called some big shots, hasn’t he? On Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Harry Maguire.”
Brown added that he would have expected Maguire to go on the basis of his season. “I would have thought, the way Harry’s played this season, he’d be sure to go, but Tuchel named his squad, and you think, OK, that’s different, and I hope they play well because he’s left some really crucial players out, and players who can turn games for you with the talent they’ve got.”
Those omissions sit against a faultless qualifying record. England won all eight of their matches, scored 22 goals and conceded none, so Tuchel's call is not about rescuing a shaky campaign but about choosing which players will carry a squad expected to go deep. Croatia are their toughest Group L opponent, with Ghana and Panama also in the section.
England in Dallas
England start against Croatia in Dallas before moving through Group L, and the broader tournament in 2026 runs from June 11th to July 19th in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The field will include 48 national teams across 16 modern stadiums.
For England, the immediate pressure is simple: carry the control from qualifying into the tournament without the three players Brown highlighted. The selections have already narrowed the conversation around Tuchel's options, and Kane remains the one attacker Brown believes can anchor it.
