Bowen Dignity But Harry Maguire’s England Meltdown Justified Tuchel’s Decision

I know this is a West Ham fan website, but we will still be keeping one eye on England national football team during the World Cup this summer, even in the absence of any West Ham players.

And it was with that in mind that I simply couldn’t resist writing about the claptrap and ridiculous sense of entitlement being displayed by Harry Maguire following his exclusion from Thomas Tuchel’s squad.

Manchester United Tried To Offload Him To West Ham

Maguire, of course, came close to joining West Ham under former manager David Moyes, with the only sticking point being a £5m loyalty payment as Manchester United attempted to offload their former £80m signing.

Make no mistake about it, Maguire is a decent player.

But nothing demonstrated quite how far the centre-back had fallen more than a distinctly average Manchester United team trying to sell him to West Ham.

Maguire Threw His Toys Out The Pram

Yesterday, following his omission from the England squad, Maguire very much threw his toys out of the pram.

And then, in the most unedifying fashion imaginable, was joined by his mother Zoe, who went on to describe the decision as “disgraceful”.

Let’s be absolutely clear here.

No footballer has a divine right to represent their country.

And perhaps I could understand the outrage slightly more if it were Harry Kane — England’s best player — who had been left out.

But Maguire simply is not the force he once was.

When fans have been selecting their own England squads over recent months, Maguire was rarely considered an automatic inclusion.

In many respects, Harry and Mrs Maguire’s public display of entitlement has almost justified Tuchel’s decision all by itself.

Bowen Reacted With Dignity

I have little doubt Jarrod Bowen was informed of his own omission at the exact same time as Maguire.

Yet Bowen has kept a dignified silence throughout.

Maguire, meanwhile, said:

“I was confident I could of played a major part this summer for my country after the season I’ve had. I’ve been left shocked and gutted by the decision.”

Look, disappointment is perfectly understandable.

But acting as though Tuchel’s decision is somehow outrageous or corrupt is something completely different.

Personally, I don’t know whether Tuchel will turn out to be brilliant, awful or somewhere in between.

But he absolutely deserves the right to select his own squad and he has already shown on previous occasions that he is willing to leave out superstar names such as Jude Bellingham.

Mrs Maguire Made It Even Worse

However, things became especially crass when Maguire’s mother joined in publicly, saying:

“You couldn’t have done anymore. Hold your head high . . . Disgraceful.”

And that is really the point.

Harry Maguire hasn’t held his head high at all.

In fact, the entire temper tantrum and perceived sense of injustice has come across as the exact opposite of dignity.

As a footballer, Maguire hasn’t shown enough over recent seasons to justify automatic England selection.

And as a person, he may well have completely justified his omission.