England’s football association blunder on Guehi’s club affiliation
England’s Football Association made an embarrassing error this morning when announcing Thomas Tuchel’s squad for upcoming friendlies, incorrectly identifying Marc Guehi as a Crystal Palace player, reports BritPanorama.
The 25-year-old centre-back actually completed a £20 million move to Manchester City back in January. This mix-up stands out as Tuchel unveiled an expansive 35-man selection for matches against Uruguay and Japan, correctly noting the club affiliations of every other player, including Marcus Rashford’s loan arrangement at Barcelona.
The gaffe is particularly notable given that Guehi is now one of five City players called up by the German manager ahead of this summer’s World Cup in the United States. Since making his international debut in March 2022, Guehi has earned 26 caps and has established himself as a key figure in the national setup.
Ironically, Tuchel was the manager who let Guehi leave Chelsea in favour of Malang Sarr, a decision that has come under scrutiny as Guehi flourished at Selhurst Park, eventually wearing the captain’s armband.
Joining Guehi in Manchester City’s contingent are goalkeeper James Trafford, midfielder Nico O’Reilly, defender John Stones, and forward Phil Foden. In a move aimed at giving his squad substantial defensive depth, Tuchel has named 11 players at the back, including Fikayo Tomori and newcomer Kobbie Mainoo.
With the centre-back partnership for the World Cup still undecided, Stones and Harry Maguire have been favoured in past tournaments, though Ezri Konsa will have a chance to stake his claim during this crucial pre-tournament camp.
Levi Colwill remains a doubt for the summer tournament due to an ACL injury, while Reece James missed selection after suffering another hamstring setback. Tuchel explained his decision to call up a large group by saying: “We decided to divide it into basically two camps almost, so we bring players in that we haven’t seen who haven’t played so much to open up the picture, and the competition for plane tickets to the US.”
England face Uruguay next Friday before meeting Japan on Tuesday, March 31, as they prepare for the upcoming challenge ahead.
