Harry Maguire Reveals Awkward FaceTime Call with Thomas Tuchel

Harry Maguire has lifted the lid on the moment Thomas Tuchel told him his England journey was on hold – via a FaceTime call that left the defender stunned and uncomfortable.

Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, the Manchester United centre-back described the modern, brutal reality of international football: no meeting at St George’s Park, no quiet word in a corridor. Just a video call and a verdict.

“He FaceTimed everyone. It was quite an awkward call,” Maguire revealed. “I received a text saying can I speak to you about 4pm. It is quite a unique way of doing it and it must be quite hard because he can see everyone's reactions.”

The reaction from a player with 66 caps and a history of delivering on the biggest stages was immediate.

“I said straightaway I was really disappointed,” he admitted. “I thought I did enough to be in the squad and thought I could have helped and had a part to play on and off the pitch.”

Tuchel, according to Maguire, did not dress the decision up.

“He said he can't give me an excuse but he had gone with the four lads who got him through the autumn.”

No tactical explanation. No fitness caveat. Just loyalty to those who carried England through the previous international window. For Maguire, who had fought his way back into form at club level, it cut deep.

“It was tough to take,” he said. “I did think I would be in the squad after being selected for the March camp under him for the first time. I did really well in both games and then went back to Manchester United and finished the season really strongly.”

That arc – back into the England fold in March, strong finish with United, then the cold reality of a FaceTime omission – underlines why the blow felt so heavy. This was not a player clinging on. This was a senior international who believed he had re-stated his case.

Yet Maguire has not turned his back on the dressing room he once anchored. Even from the outside, he has stayed in touch with the core of Tuchel’s group, including captain Harry Kane, midfield linchpin Declan Rice and long-time England No 1 Jordan Pickford, offering support rather than bitterness.

The defender has also made one thing clear: there will be no dramatic international retirement statement, no social media farewell post, no line in the sand while Tuchel’s contract runs through to Euro 2028.

“I don't think I would retire from England. I still feel I have something to offer,” he said. “There will be a time and a place where I don't deserve to get picked but I probably still wouldn't come out and retire. If I got one more cap it would be worth it.”

For now, Maguire stands in a strange place: out of the squad, but not out of the picture in his own mind. Tuchel has nailed his colours to the defenders who carried him through the autumn. Maguire, battle-scarred but unbowed, waits for another call – and hopes next time it brings a plane ticket, not a FaceTime goodbye.