Thomas Tuchel’s honeymoon start to life as England manager is officially over after the Three Lions were beaten 3-1 by a Senegal side without Sadio Mane on Tuesday night. It was a pitiful display from the side, with a number of players failing to impress. England were beaten by an African side for the first time ever, with goals from Ismaila Sarr, Habib Diarra and Cheikh Sabaly cancelling out Harry Kane’s early opener.
The loss felt like a long time coming too. Recent performances under Tuchel haven’t been great and England were even booed off at half-time during their 1-0 victory over Andorra on Saturday. The manager’s tactics haven’t helped, but his team selection and some of the players that have been called up have been a large reason for the side’s struggles. Simply put, some of the stars aren’t good enough to play for the country anymore.
With the 2026 World Cup on the horizon, the manager needs to figure out his best squad and he needs to do it quickly. There are some players who deserve a chance in the team and there are others who should be left at home from now on. Here are four players whose England careers should be over after the loss to Senegal.
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Curtis Jones
England caps: six
While he’s only played six times for England so far during his career, Curtis Jones’ performances for the Three Lions haven’t come close to the level he’s previously shown with Liverpool. The midfielder has struggled to make much of an impact for his country and with the array of talent that Tuchel has at his disposal in the middle of the park, it’s hard to justify Jones keeping a spot in the side going forward.
His performance against Senegal underlined that fact, too. Coming off the bench in the second half for Conor Gallagher, the Liverpool man was merely a passenger in the side throughout his 36-minute display. He failed to offer anything positive for his side and was also at fault for Senegal’s third goal of the game, giving the ball away in a dangerous area. Simply put, there are just better options in midfielder for Tuchel, so Jones’ time with the Three Lions should come to an end after the Senegal loss.
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Jordan Henderson
England caps: 84
He didn’t actually play against Senegal, but Jordan Henderson — who was sat on the bench for the contest — should have played his last game for England. The midfielder has played 84 times for the country over the years and has been an excellent servant for them in multiple major international tournaments. His best days are behind him now, though, and at 34 years old, there isn’t much he can offer to the team anymore.
In truth, Henderson’s time in the England set-up should have come to an end after he left Liverpool and moved to Saudi Arabia. That wasn’t the case, though, and he’s represented the country on a handful of occasions since. He’s now plying his trade at Ajax, but, like Jones, there are just better options to deploy in the middle of the park and fans don’t want to see Henderson in the side anymore. He’s become the antithesis of the attractive, attacking football that they want to see England play.
He was one of Gareth Southgate’s most trusted players, and a man that the former head coach relied upon time and time again, but with Tuchel now calling the shots, Henderson’s England career should finally be brought to a close.
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Kyle Walker
England caps: 96
Another star who has been a wonderful player for England over the years is Kyle Walker. During his prime, the right-back was a fine defender. His blistering pace meant he could keep up with just about any forward in the world and the Three Lions were simply better with him in the side than they were without. He’s not the same player anymore, however. The 35-year-old has lost a step in terms of his speed and isn’t able to handle the most elite attackers like he once was.
The last few years have seen England be blessed with a bunch of world-class right-backs and while Walker was regularly the pick of the bunch for the Three Lions, that shouldn’t be the case anymore. He was ruthlessly shown the door at Manchester City last season and his debut campaign in Italy with AC Milan was a bitter disappointment. His performance against Senegal left a lot to be desired too, and England fans were quick to voice their frustration with him.
Walker just isn’t the same player that became one of the best right-backs in Premier League history and with Reece James and Trent Alexander-Arnold waiting in the wings, it’s time his England career is brought to an end and one of those talented stars is handed the reins as the Three Lions’ new man on the right side of defence.
Conor Gallagher
England caps: 22
Another England star who moved abroad last season, Conor Gallagher’s debut season with Atletico Madrid was also a major disappointment and he failed to deliver on the early promise he demonstrated with the La Liga side. The former Chelsea man has shown glimpses of world-class talent in the past, but he hasn’t lived up to it for England and was again disappointing against Senegal.
There are just better options in the middle of the park for Tuchel to pick from and the Atletico Madrid star just isn’t the answer going forward and unless he improves his form at club level in Spain, he should be left out of the England set-up as the side prepare for the 2026 World Cup.
All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt and accurate as of 11/06/2025
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