Lineker has voiced his confusion over Tuchel’s decision to leave Hall out of England’s squad for the upcoming World Cup. Despite a standout season at Newcastlethe young left-back was not included in the 26-man group traveling to the United States, a choice Lineker described as “baffling” given the player’s recent form against elite opposition. Despite featuring in friendlies against Uruguay and Japan, Hall was one of the high-profile casualties when the final list was confirmed.
Speaking on The Rest is Football podcastLineker said: “It certainly surprised me but I would say that everyone has their own view on this and pretty much everyone will differ from the England manager in one or two positions. All that matters really is what the England manager thinks, but there are a few things I can’t understand. It won’t matter one iota if England go all the way and win the World Cup and Thomas Tuchel has said it’s not about picking the most talented players, it’s about putting a team together, and I totally get that.”
“I think there were a couple of standout ones for me. Everyone would choose a different squad and there’s only one opinion that counts but I found Lewis Hall’s omission hard to understand, I really did. He’s been brilliant this season. Tuchel has talked about Djed Spence being the second-choice left-back but he’s more of a right-back and he spoke about his pace if we come up against a really quick winger. But Lewis Hall was the only player I’ve really seen cope with Lamine Yamal this season. So I found that decision a little bit baffling.”
