England player’s game in a ‘secret World Cup match’ is causing Thomas Tuchel quite a headache.
Thomas Tuchel has a tricky choice to make about his starting lineup for the match against Ghana, especially after one England player stood out in a secret training game.
On Wednesday night, England kicked off their 2026 World Cup with a thrilling 4-2 win over Croatia at Dallas Stadium. Captain Harry Kane scored twice, while Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford also found the net, helping England get off to a great start in the group.
Next up, England will face Ghana on Tuesday evening in Foxborough, Massachusetts. A win here will secure their spot in the knockout stages.
To prepare, Tuchel put the team through tough training, including a hidden match against Major League Soccer’s Sporting Kansas City at their training grounds on Thursday. This game came less than 24 hours after beating Croatia and gave players who didn’t play in the first match some important game time.
England won the training match 5-1, with one player really shining: Al Ahli striker Ivan Toney. He scored a hat-trick and caught Tuchel’s eye with his performance.
While it’s unlikely Tuchel will drop Kane for Toney in the starting lineup, Toney’s strong showing might make the coach think hard about how to get the former Brentford star involved on Tuesday.
Last month, Tuchel explained Toney’s role in the squad: “He can start for us, but I don’t see him as a starter. His role is to finish matches for us. He’s part of a special operations team. He knows that, and that’s his role. Off the pitch, he is glue – someone who connects with everyone really well.”
Toney’s situation isn’t the only big choice Tuchel faces. He also has to decide who starts between Jude Bellingham and Morgan Rogers.
Rogers scored in the training match too, along with Ollie Watkins. Many thought Rogers would start over Bellingham in the opener, but Tuchel went with Bellingham’s experience, and it paid off when Bellingham scored a key goal early in the second half to help England pull ahead for good.
Now, with Rogers scoring in training, Tuchel has another tough decision on his hands about who deserves to start against Ghana. It’s sure to be an interesting lineup announcement!