Tuchel had to clear the air' with Ivan Toney before World Cup wildcard choice

Ivan Toney was named to England’s 26-man World Cup squad after clear-the-air talks with Thomas Tuchel about his attitude. Tuchel had previously been unhappy with Toney’s limited involvement in a June camp and his lack of impact in a short appearance. Tuchel later reconsidered Toney’s potential influence in late-game scenarios, particularly if England needed a goal. He cited Toney’s power on set pieces and his penalty-taking ability. Tuchel also considered how Harry Kane likes to play alongside Toney. Tuchel consulted assistant Justin Cochrane, who watched Toney in Saudi Arabia and received a positive report from Al-Ahli manager Matthias Jaissle. Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, and Harry Maguire were notable omissions, with Tuchel explaining concerns about Palmer’s consistency, uncertainty about Foden’s best role, and Maguire’s reaction to exclusion.

"He mentioned Toney's power on set pieces and his excellent penalty taking. Tuchel sent Justin Cochrane, one of his assistants, to watch Toney in Saudi Arabia and he received a glowing reference on him from the Al-Ahli manager, Matthias Jaissle. When Tuchel was a youth team coach at VfB Stuttgart, he had Jaissle as a player. I was not happy with the June camp he [Toney] knows that, Tuchel said. And we had to clear the air after that."

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