Wes Brown thinks the Manchester United defender should have gone to the WC, but not the one you'd think!

Following England’s narrow 2-1 victory in the round of 32 against DR Congo, there have been question marks about England’s back four. 

Questions are continually being asked about the England defence – none more so than in the last time out. Despite three genuine options in Thomas Tuchel’s squad for a right-back (Reece James, Djed Spence and Tino Livramento), responsibility fell on the shoulders of defensive midfielder Declan Rice.

England’s Missing Players 

Former Manchester United and England right back Wes Brown, unsurprisingly, has opinions on Tuchel’s side – naming one United defender who should have gone to the WC, but it’s not the one you think. 

When asked by Livescore which player should have been picked for the 2026 World Cup squad, Brown paused for a second to think before stating: “Probably Shaw”. But should Shaw have been heading stateside with England this summer?

Brown’s comments come following the controversy over some of Thomas Tuchel’s squad picks – leaving out both Shaw and United teammate Harry Maguire. 

Real Madrid right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold is another key name missing from the squad – and one that Tuchel could really have done with in the last game. Then there is, of course, the shock of leaving the likes of Cole Palmer and Phil Foden out of the squad.

England’s Top Players: Kane and Bellingham

It’s feeling more and more like there are just two world-class players with three lions on their shirts – Kane and Bellingham. 

Unsurprisingly, when asked who he thought England’s star player this World Cup would be, Brown was quick to jump to Kane. LiveScore also asked if he thought Harry Kane could be in with a shout for the Ballon d'Or. Brown was confident, stating: 

  “100%, since he’s left Tottenham, he’s gotten better and better. Being on that Bayern Munich team has given him more opportunities to score, and he doesn’t fail. He puts it in the back of the net, and he’s quietly and arguably been their best player this year.”

He also had good things to say about Bellingham, choosing him as England’s game-changer player this year, but not shying away from the fact that he thinks Bellingham will have the most pressure on him in the squad. 

Brown was ultimately optimistic, leaving us on a positive note and finishing the sentence “This World Cup, England will” with “be celebrating”.