Five things England v Uruguay told us about Tuchel’s World Cup plans

Ben White was the headline story going into the game and coming out of it, as he came on to muted boos, then scored, triggering more boos before giving away a stoppage time penalty that cost England the win. His first England appearance in almost four years turned into the main storyline of an otherwise dull affair. He is certainly in Tuchel’s thoughts for the summer, given his post match comments. “We protect our players,” said the England head coach. “Hopefully we can put it behind us and he can write a new chapter. We are ready to give him the chance. So I hope we can all move on and accept it.”

Harry Maguire still has plenty to offer at international level. He was the one player who seized his opportunity to stake a genuine claim for a place in the squad this summer. He received the second biggest cheer of the night when his name was announced ahead of kick off, especially from the home end housing England’s regular travelling supporters who have steadfastly backed the Manchester United centre back ever since he came into the team.

The Wembley crowd was not impressed as many of the fringe players botched their audition. The third biggest cheer of the evening was for the paper aeroplane that landed in the Uruguayan six yard box early in the first half. Sadly, there was little on the pitch in terms of entertainment and it was yet another night at Wembley where fans voted with their feet as many left long before full time.

Marcus Rashford continues to flatter to deceive. He clearly has the talent, as his blistering run in the latter stages of the first half showed, but he still struggles to consistently perform. He is almost certain to be in Tuchel’s squad for the World Cup, but he has to put together more complete performances if he is to get serious game time this summer.

FIFA’s officials can be just as bad as those in the Premier League, and that can be a valuable lesson going into the World Cup. Referee Sven Jablonski gave a series of contentious decisions to add to England’s frustration. Uruguay’s Ronald Araújo bizarrely escaped a red card for a challenge on Phil Foden which should have resulted in a dismissal. Confusion reigned when Manuel Ugarte appeared to have been shown two yellow cards yet remained on the pitch – a convenient post match explanation was that the first yellow card was shown to José María Giménez, not Ugarte. Matters worsened when Jablonski awarded a soft stoppage time penalty against Ben White, a decision Harry Maguire later described as “ridiculous”, sealing a night in which the officiating overshadowed the football.