Troy Deeney calls Thomas Tuchel 'immature and stupid' over Ivan Toney omission

Former Watford captain Troy Deeney described England manager Thomas Tuchel as "immature and stupid" after Tuchel omitted striker Ivan Toney from his most recent England squad, intensifying debate over forward options ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

Toney, who has scored 30 goals in 44 appearances for Al Ahli in Saudi Arabia, holds seven England caps and one international goal, which came during the Euro 2024 final defeat by Spain. He was named in Tuchel’s final squad last season but was left out of the latest selection as the manager prepares for the next qualifying matches.

Tuchel, appointed last year with the explicit aim of winning the 2026 World Cup, has overseen four World Cup qualifiers so far, winning all four without conceding. England’s results in the recent international window have been mixed in tone: a 3-1 friendly defeat to Senegal was followed by a 2-0 victory over Andorra at Villa Park. Earlier results this cycle include a 1-0 win in the reverse fixture with Andorra and 2-0 and 3-0 victories over Albania and Latvia respectively.

Speaking on TalkSport, Deeney suggested the omission reflected a personality clash between player and manager and questioned Tuchel’s handling of the forward lines. "I think that's a personality clash, isn't it? I think the fact that he's said that is immature and stupid anyway," Deeney said. He added that Tuchel appeared likely to travel to the tournament with Harry Kane and Ollie Watkins as his main striking options and possibly Liam Delap as a third, arguing that a small number of specialist forwards could leave the team exposed and give the manager "an excuse" if results faltered.

Tuchel has defended his selection options publicly. Ahead of England’s Tuesday fixture with Serbia, he listed several players who can operate up front, saying: "Yes, we have a lot of options. We have Ollie [Watkins], we have Harry, Marcus [Rashford] can play there. Jarrod Bowen can play there, Anthony Gordon played there for Newcastle. I think so. Phil Foden can play in the nine, Morgan Rogers can play in the nine. Let's see who catches form and catches fire in the Premier League, or wherever and starts scoring. But yes we have enough firepower there."

Toney’s club form in Saudi Arabia has made his omission a talking point among former players and pundits, with some arguing his goalscoring record warrants consideration and others pointing to squad balance and tactical flexibility as reasons for Tuchel’s choices. The manager’s retention of a compact group of central forwards follows a broader trend in his selections and tactical statements, emphasising multipurpose attacking players rather than a large quota of out-and-out strikers.

With World Cup preparations ongoing, Tuchel faces continued scrutiny over squad construction and personnel decisions. England’s next fixtures and Premier League form over the coming months are likely to shape final decisions on which forwards travel to North America for the 2026 tournament.