Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad announcement has prompted sharp debate over England’s midfield composition. The depth of options is clear, but several high-profile omissions and a handful of trusted inclusions have defined the list.

Cole Palmer is the absence attracting most attention. Once considered a near-certain pick for North America, an injury-hit start to the 2025–26 campaign interrupted his rhythm. He never fully recovered amid the chaos at Stamford Bridge and has been brutally axed by ex-Blues boss Tuchel.

Nottingham Forest talisman Morgan Gibbs-White was also left out despite a remarkable goalscoring campaign; the 26-year-old appeared to have hit form at the perfect time. Manchester City’s Phil Foden is another notable absentee. Deeper in midfield, Adam Wharton’s omission surprised many after another fine season at Crystal Palace. Strong campaigns from Bournemouth’s Alex Scott and Everton’s James Garner likewise went unrewarded.

Conor Gallagher and Curtis Jones, who have featured in previous squads, were judged not convincing enough this time. James Maddison never stood a chance after missing almost the entirety of the term through injury.

Jordan Henderson’s selection has drawn widespread ire. The 35-year-old is not even a guaranteed starter for Brentford, yet Tuchel has included him for his off-field character and leadership. “He’s unlikely to see too much game time, but he’s a valuable presence in the dressing room.” Whether that presence justifies a place is open to debate.

Among those who did make the cut, Kobbie Mainoo’s technical ability and progressive ball-carrying mark him out as a valuable midfield option after his Euro 2024 breakthrough. Ruben Amorim’s handling of the Manchester United youngster briefly threatened his place, but Michael Carrick’s subsequent reinvigoration returned him to consideration.

Eberechi Eze, typically deployed on the left wing for England but by trade an attacking midfielder, and Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers, a powerful and direct attacking option, offer distinct profiles. Elliot Anderson’s early England impact suggested he can bridge defence and attack, providing the kind of transitional mettle England may need at a major tournament.

Manchester United’s second goal in Sunday’s 3–2 win over Nottingham Forest has become the centre of a rules debate after refereeing chief Howard Webb said it should not have counted. Matheus Cunha applied the finish that put United 2–1 ahead after a period of Forest pressure, but the decisive sequence began with Bryan Mbeumo’s shot.

Mbeumo’s effort was blocked and rebounded to Cunha after the Cameroonian forward had used his arm, albeit accidentally, to get the ball under control. The ball became trapped between Mbeumo’s hip and arm, which stopped it passing him. When Cunha found the bottom corner, celebrations were hesitant even though referee Michael Salisbury signalled for a goal.

A VAR intervention delayed the game for around three minutes and recommended the on-field official take another look. Commentating live for Sky Sports at the time, ex-United captain Gary Neville described the decision as “an absolute shocker in every single way.” The on-field decision remained unchanged and the referee announcement was clear: “After review, the decision of goal stands because the handball offence is accidental, therefore the final decision is goal.”

The issue rests on how the laws are applied. Only deliberate handball—“moving the hand/arm towards the ball”—is automatically an offense. Crucially, however, a player who “touches the ball with their hand/arm when it has made their body unnaturally bigger” is also deemed guilty of handball. Even though Mbeumo had no intention of using his arm in that moment, that it touched the ball in that position is still considered handball.

That distinction underpins the controversy. For Nottingham Forest there is an added frustration: had Mbeumo scored from his original shot before it was blocked and fell to Cunha, the decision to disallow the goal would have been far easier. The sequence leaves questions about interpretation and consistency in future VAR handball reviews.

There was plenty to celebrate at the end of Manchester United’s final home game of the 2025–26 season as Bruno Fernandes finally reached the 20-assist mark for the campaign. Since the Premier League began in 1992, only Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne have reached that same figure, a milestone that has attracted scrutiny on how assists are recorded.

De Bruyne has long argued he was denied a higher total in 2019-20. After setting up Raheem Sterling for City’s third in a 5-0 win over Norwich City during the Project Restart period, and being named player of the match, he was told he had equalled Henry’s record. He told City’s in-house media channel: “In my mind, I’m on 22 [assists]. I’ve been stolen twice by the league—especially away at Arsenal. But, in the end, you get what they say.”

The contentious example came in a 3-0 win at Arsenal where De Bruyne’s pass to Sterling was later judged to have taken a touch off Calum Chambers. At the time, the Premier League’s official X account claimed De Bruyne had taken his tally to 10 goals created. A review by Opta, the league’s official stats provider, deemed the cross not to meet the threshold for an assist. That decision sits uneasily with Opta’s own wording: “If the assist is deflected by an opposition player,” the definition reads, “it must be deemed as traveling to the goalscorer irrespective of the deflection.” De Bruyne’s delivery did not appear to change direction markedly after brushing Chambers’s studs, yet it was removed from the records. The Premier League’s montage marking De Bruyne’s 100 assists even began with that disputed clip.

Fernandes experienced a similar twist of fate this season when a header for Benjamin Šeško against Liverpool was touched by Freddie Woodman and removed from the record. When the mark did arrive against Forest, Fernandes was foremost about his teammates and Bryan Mbeumo’s finish. “I wouldn’t say relieved, but very happy, very proud,” he reflected after the game. “Obviously, everyone knows it was something that, when you start getting close to that, you start thinking a lot. A good thing is that it doesn’t change the way I play because I’m there to serve my teammates, try to make them score goals.

“I’m very grateful to see their reaction more than mine because I wanted Bryan to celebrate his goal. I didn’t want to make it about myself because at the end of the day scoring the goal is the biggest thing in football. And all credit to Bryan because if he doesn’t put it in the back of the net, my record will not be there. So these records only come if your teammates do the things right as you do.”