Thomas Tuchel explains why Harry Maguire, Phil Foden & Cole Palmer missed out on England squad as coach prioritises 'hunger and excitement' at World Cup

The England boss has opened up on the emotional toll of finalizing his squad for the upcoming World Cup, specifically addressing the absences of Maguire, Foden and Palmer. These players have been central to the national team's identity over recent years, but the German tactician felt a change in direction was necessary to ensure success on the world stage.

The German coach said his selection was shaped heavily by the UEFA Nations League camps in September, October and November. He also admitted informing senior players they would miss the tournament was one of the toughest parts of the job.

Asked how he handled the decision to leave big names off of the list, he said: "Oh, difficult. Difficult phone calls because I respect all of them and I respect them as players, as personalities. All of them have been in camp with us."

"All of them have been excellent. All of them deserved, a lot of them, and all of them that you named, deserved a call-up from this list of 55 to reduce. It was difficult, sometimes painfully difficult. And like, even in the phone calls, I felt the emotion."

"So I called all the players that were with us in camp at least one time. I called them, I wanted to show at least the appreciation and the respect for what they have done. A lot of them, like I said, deserved to be with us. In the end, we went back to the evidence that we had, and the evidence we had was in September, October, and November, where the leadership group and the team in itself, where we made some bigger calls in September, and repeated the camp with the same group, and then had only very few changes in November, that felt that we have a bit of fresh air."

Despite the quality and experience of players such as Maguire, Foden and Palmer, the England manager believes continuity from previous camps gives his side the best chance of success. He suggested England could not afford to overload the squad with attacking midfielders and force players into unfamiliar roles simply to accommodate big names.

"We have younger players who play with hunger and excitement," he added. "And that was a good mix between young and old, usefulness and senior partnership, and it brought the best out of the players.

"And yeah, we want to recreate that kind of spirit. That's why we rely heavily on that group. That was the majority of the group that was with us in these three camps. Does this mean that the other guys that you mentioned did anything wrong? No. For some of them, it's just a positional thing that we also tried to have a balanced squad and not to bring five number 10s and make them play out of position because whom would we do a favour with? The player or ourselves? I don't think so.

"So yeah, like I said, these tough decisions had to be made before the tournament. I think to not carry them throughout the tournament, and even if they are painful, especially for the players, and not easy to deliver, I think it was the right call to take them."

Tuchel will now focus on ensuring his selected squad develops the same chemistry and intensity shown during the Nations League camps. The pressure will increase quickly, particularly given the scrutiny surrounding the omissions of several high-profile players.

The England manager’s gamble will ultimately be judged by the team’s performances at the World Cup. In the tournament, the Three Lions are in Group L with Croatia, Ghana and Panama.