Harry Maguire Reveals Brutal FaceTime Call from Thomas Tuchel

Harry Maguire has lifted the lid on the moment Thomas Tuchel told him he would not be going to the latest England camp – and it was as modern as it was brutal.

Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, the Manchester United defender described an awkward FaceTime call that ended his hopes of a place in Tuchel’s squad, at least for now.

“He FaceTimed everyone,” Maguire revealed. “It was quite an awkward call. 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.”

No meeting at St George’s Park. No quiet word in a hotel corridor. Just a video call, a fixed screen and nowhere to hide.

Maguire did not dress it up. He told Tuchel exactly how he felt.

“I said straightaway I was really disappointed. 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,” he said.

Tuchel’s reasoning cut to the core of international football’s harsh logic. Loyalty to those already in the shirt.

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

For a player sitting on 66 caps, who has been a mainstay at major tournaments, it stung.

“It was tough to take,” he admitted. “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.”

The defender’s form at club level had given him every reason to believe he was on his way back to the heart of England’s plans. Instead, the FaceTime call drew a hard line under that assumption.

Yet this is not a farewell speech. Not from Maguire.

Despite the setback, he has stayed close to the dressing-room core. Harry Kane, Declan Rice, Jordan Pickford – the leadership group he has shared so many nights with – still hear from him, and he still offers his backing from the outside.

There is no bitterness in his words, only a stubborn refusal to shut the door on his country, even with Tuchel contracted through to Euro 2028.

“I don’t think I would retire from England. I still feel I have something to offer,” Maguire 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.”

One more cap. For a player who has already lived the full turbulence of the England shirt, that line says everything about where his international story sits now – not finished, just waiting for its next twist.