Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink understands Thomas Tuchel’s decision to leave Cole Palmer out of England’s World Cup 2026 squad – but says he would have personally included the Chelsea star.
Former Chelsea striker Hasselbaink, who served on Gareth Southgate’s England coaching staff, pointed to Palmer’s injury struggles and dip in form following an extraordinary debut year at Stamford Bridge, noting that a full pre-season might ultimately benefit the young forward.
The ex Leeds United hitman also expressed surprise at the exclusions of Luke Shaw and veteran defender Harry Maguire.
He compared Maguire’s vital dressing-room presence to that of Jordan Henderson, while warning that the immense pressure on Tuchel to win the tournament is a direct result of the success achieved during the Southgate era.
Magnificent Palmer
During an exclusive conversation with 10bet, Hasselbaink said: “Look, everybody knows I’m a Cole Palmer lover. I think the boy is absolutely magnificent.
“But I understand why he hasn’t taken him. Would I have done the same? No, I would have taken him. I would have maybe played him from the right.
“But he hasn’t had the best season; he’s been struggling with injuries and hasn’t been scoring as much as he used to.
“He put the expectations so high because last season he was just super, and this year he struggled because of different reasons. So I do understand it.
“And yeah, there is so much quality in England – so much quality.
“But then on the other hand, for Cole – and he might not feel this at this moment in time – it might not be a bad thing.
“He can have a good pre-season, concentrate on the coming season and sort his body out.”
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Man Utd duo overlooked
When asked if there were other players that he would have called up who didn’t make the trip, Hasselbaink added: “I was a little bit surprised that Luke Shaw was not there.
“Don’t get me wrong, choosing someone like [Nico] O’Reilly, who is very good and he should go, but Shaw along with him would have been super.
“I also like Harry Maguire. I know that in these kinds of tournaments, Maguire turns up and he’s very good in the group – a very, very good guy.
“But that is just me looking from the outside in.
“Obviously I know Maguire a little bit. We didn’t take him to the Euros either because he was injured, but he’s such an important person around the squad, a little bit like Jordan Henderson used to be.”
Third favourites
England are searching for a second World Cup win, having won at Wembley in 1966, and the bookmakers rate Tuchel’s Three Lions as third favourites behind Spain and France.
Much of England’s hopes rest on the shoulders of captain Harry Kane, who comes into the tournament off the back of a remarkable season with Bayern Munich, for whom he scored 61 goals in 51 appearances.
Hasselbaink is proud of what he achieved as part of Southgate’s England coaching team, who reached two European Championship finals but ultimately lost to Italy and Spain.
The Dutchman is hoping former Chelsea boss Tuchel can get England over the finishing line this summer, saying: “Look, what Gareth has done over the years is just exceptional.
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Fickle football
“And I think people don’t really understand – well, they do understand, but football is fickle, you know? They forget really quickly where it all started and what went into the journey.
“And now, because of what has happened on that journey and what he accomplished, the expectation is so much higher.
“Anything else but winning is seen as unacceptable now. Nothing less is accepted, but that is because of what Gareth achieved, if you understand what I’m saying.
“So look, we are at a different place now. I think Tuchel wants to do it differently, or he’s going to do it differently. They are both different people.
“I think you shouldn’t just look at how far the team goes. I think you should look at what he’s trying to do, how it comes out and how they win matches.
“In these kinds of tournaments, it’s also down to luck. You need a little bit of luck and you need momentum.
“When that little bit of luck and momentum doesn’t come with you, even though you might be playing really well, that doesn’t mean you have done a bad job, if you understand what I’m saying.
“So for me, it’s about the whole picture.”
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SportJustSport writers 
Michael Davey