Harry Kane told 'it's not his England team anymore' as Thomas Tuchel's first XI is picked by Jamie Carragher - with Phil Foden dropped from team

Tuchel, previously at the helm of Chelsea and Bayern Munich, will officially step into the Three Lions role in 2025 following the departure of Gareth Southgate and his first major challenge will be qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. Carragher believes that the new coach will bring a fresh approach to the team, which could shake up the established order, particularly affecting players like Kane, Foden and Harry Maguire - three of Southgate's long-standing stalwarts.

Speaking on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football, Carragher expressed his expectations for how Tuchel might reshape the England squad and predicted that the German will prioritise young attacking talent over relying on Kane as the central figure of the team.

"For me, in the summer it was Harry Kane’s team," the Liverpool legend began. "He’d been there and scored the goals and we were getting an abundance of young attacking players between the lines. This is not his team anymore, even though he has a great relationship with him. The most important thing for Thomas Tuchel is to get the most out of the young attacking players between the lines. The team has to be for them.

"I would look at Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back, John Stones, and I think [Jarrad] Branthwaite – excellent on the left foot, gives you that balance, but also that size and presence that England had with Harry Maguire, you think how important set pieces were in tournaments for England. [Levi] Colwill again we’ve seen him at left-back at times or left centre-back under Lee Carsley as well."

One of the more intriguing elements of Carragher’s analysis was his suggestion to drop Jude Bellingham into a deeper midfield role alongside Declan Rice.

"Rice, Jude Bellingham here a little bit deeper, [Bukayo] Saka has to play on the right wing, he has to," he continued.

"Cole Palmer has to play there – not necessarily because he’s been amazing for England, hasn’t had too many chances, but when someone’s playing that well in club football, they have to play. Right now, I'd play [Anthony] Gordon there because if Kane is still the best centre-forward, you still need pace around him.

"You know how much I love Phil Foden, but he still has not done enough in an England shirt. He’s played 40 or 50 games for England and Palmer hasn’t had that chance, neither has Gordon."

Carragher concluded his analysis by presenting his ideal England line-up under Tuchel.

Carragher's proposed England XI under Tuchel:

Formation: 4-2-3-1

Goalkeeper: Jordan Pickford

Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, John Stones, Jarrad Branthwaite, Levi Colwill

Midfielders: Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham

Attackers: Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer, Anthony Gordon, Harry Kane

Before his official debut as manager, Tuchel will observe England’s upcoming Nations League fixtures in November, where they face Greece and the Republic of Ireland under the leadership of interim boss Lee Carsley.