John Terry claims England boss Thomas Tuchel wouldn't dare berate Trent Alexander-Arnold like he has done to Djed Spence as Piers Morgan labels Tottenham star a 'cocky little sod'

Spence has found himself in the starting XI at the World Cup, with the Tottenham Hotspur full-back becoming the target of a furious touchline berating from his manager during England's recent fixture against DR Congo. The public scolding followed a similar incident against Ghana, raising immediate questions regarding the manager's man-management style after several creative stars were controversially omitted from the tournament squad altogether.

Appearing on Piers Morgan’s World Cup Uncensored show, Terry expressed deep concern over the optics of Tuchel's reaction. He suggested that younger or newer squad members face harsher treatment than established global superstars.

Terry stated: "I don’t know if you’ve seen the images and the videos of him going mad at Spence again in the game from the throw-in. I’m not saying he’s picking him out – but he seems like he’s having a proper dig at him. But we see the training incident that we spoke about. I’m a little bit worried.

"I really like Tuchel, and I think he’s a top and elite manager, but when I see this, I’m like, if that’s Trent, I’m not sure he’s behaving like that. I’m not sure he’s talking to Trent like that. And maybe that’s a decision of why he’s picked a couple of these players, because he can go like that to these younger players or these new players in the squad, for me. That’s interesting."

Tuchel had previously attempted to justify his vocal outbursts and strict management of the full-back from the earlier stalemate against Ghana: "I wanted him to be more engaged in the attacking phase. To start our attacks a bit wider and to have more runs through the last line. I have to scream because nobody hears me otherwise."

The dispute intensified debates surrounding Tuchel's controversial selection decisions, which saw elite figures omitted from the plane. Morgan was quick to ask the Chelsea legend whether the current situation had become a clash of personality traits rather than footballing ability.

The celebrity TV host added: "I mean, don’t forget this is Djed Spence, who’s a bit of a cocky little sod. He’s the one that, you know, wouldn’t shake Thomas Frank‘s hand, he’s the one that got hooked off the pitch and then decided to make a point with Tudor by coming back off the bench and sticking his hand out."

Terry then interrupted the host to elaborate further on his view of the defender's capabilities and Tuchel's mixed managerial signals: "Listen, I’m not his fan. I don’t think he’s a good defender, I don’t think he’s a good footballer. He’s played in a really struggling Spurs side this year. But I will say I’ve not seen Tuchel do that to anyone else. It just seems to be on two or three occasions he’s dug Spence out. But also, for me, he’s then relied on him and played him again. I agree it’s kind of mixed messaging.”

Nicky Butt also criticised the manager's rigid approach to selection, telling Paddy Power: "I don’t care what he says, and he’ll never admit it, the squad is wrong. But he just seems like the kind of manager who’s stubborn, arrogant in a way that he’s just doing what he wants to do.

"Deep down he’ll never admit it but he'll know that he should have taken Trent Alexander-Arnold, 100 per cent. He’ll know with 15 minutes left at 0-0, he’ll have looked at the bench and wish he would have had a Phil Foden or a Cole Palmer on the bench."

These tensions are ones Tuchel will need to resolve quickly, with England facing a daunting round-of-16 clash against tournament hosts Mexico. The squad will need to show mental resilience in a hostile atmosphere, particularly given the team’s lack of attacking fluidity in the final third. A highly motivated host nation will be the ultimate test of the manager’s stubborn selection philosophy, where any failure will only increase the criticism of those left at home.