Butt Backs Tuchel to Make Bold Choices for England

Nicky Butt has drawn a hard line under England’s World Cup comfort zone. In his view, Thomas Tuchel will not hesitate to axe even the biggest names in 2026 – and Jude Bellingham is very much in that firing line.

The former Manchester United and England midfielder believes Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers is primed to rip up the established order in Tuchel’s starting XI if Bellingham struggles to ignite early in the tournament.

Bellingham arrives with the weight of a bruising club season on his shoulders. A shoulder problem, then a hamstring injury, disrupted his rhythm and kept him out for long spells. He still amassed 40 appearances for Real Madrid in all competitions, starting 30 of them, but this was a campaign defined more by interruptions than dominance.

Rogers, by contrast, is riding a surge. Aston Villa’s Europa League triumph and fourth-place finish in the Premier League have pushed him into the spotlight, and his numbers back it up: 13 goals and 11 assists across those two competitions at just 23 years of age.

Inside the England camp, his profile is climbing just as quickly. Since making his debut in 2024, Rogers has featured in 13 of England’s 14 matches, a run that Butt sees as a clear sign Tuchel trusts him – and may lean on him more heavily as the World Cup unfolds.

Speaking to Paddy Power, Butt set out the pecking order in stark terms. “[Harry] Kane, [Declan] Rice, [Bukayo] Saka and [Jude] Bellingham are the superstars,” he said, “but Morgan Rogers could be the one that really stands out.”

For Butt, the key variable is Bellingham’s start. If the Real Madrid midfielder explodes into the tournament, the narrative changes. If he stutters, the door swings open.

“It’ll depend on how Jude Bellingham starts the tournament,” Butt said. “If he starts the tournament on fire, then it's different. But if he's not on the ball or Harry Kane needs to be coming or he’s not scoring goals.”

That’s where Rogers comes in. Butt sees him as tailor‑made for Tuchel’s blueprint – especially in that crucial No.10 pocket.

“Rogers is a [Thomas] Tuchel kind of player, he likes him a lot in that number ten role. He can score goals from outside the box. Lots of World Cup goals come from outside the box because teams sit deep around the box.”

The pattern of Rogers’ season only strengthens Butt’s conviction. “I think Rogers has got the X-factor,” he added. “He scores goals, he started to come really good towards the end of the season. He started the season on fire, he had a bit of a blip but then he came again.”

The former England midfielder can already picture the scenario: Rogers on the bench, the game tightening, the heat and tension rising – and then the Villa man changing everything.

“I've got a sneaking feeling that he could come off the bench a few times and score some really important goals. He could be the difference in a lot of games.

“I think the starting XI picks itself and he won’t get in straight away. But if Bellingham's not flying, one thing about Tuchel is that he doesn't give a f*ck about player egos or the perception. If Bellingham, for example, is not playing well, he'll take him out of the firing line and put Rogers straight in.

“You could then see someone who could become England's best player in the tournament, he's got that much ability. People can go in as a bit-part player and come out being a superstar. It's happened with so many players over the years.”

High expectations, harsh conditions – and a manager on the line

Butt’s admiration for Rogers is matched by his unease about England’s wider prospects.

He sees a young squad, enormous pressure and brutal conditions converging into a serious test of Tuchel’s international credentials. For him, success is reaching the sharp end of the competition – but he knows that may not satisfy the country.

“I personally think it would be a success to get to the final stages – the semi or the final,” he said. “But even then, with our expectations as a nation, I think even a semi might be seen as a failure.

“I don't think it would be. We’ve got a young squad, it's going to take time. I can't see us winning it. With the conditions over there, the heat and humidity, all the travel, it just doesn't seem possible. I'm not confident.”

The baseline, in his eyes, is clear. “A failure for me would be obviously not getting out of the group stages. If we don't get to the semi, some would see that as a big failure especially with all the talent that we've got and because of those that we’ve left at home.”

Those omissions – and there are some heavyweight ones – sharpen the focus on Tuchel. “They’re out of form but he’s not picked Phil Foden, not picked Cole Palmer, not picked Harry Maguire or Trent Alexander-Arnold. So if we don’t get to the latter stages, the finger will be pointed straight at Thomas Tuchel.”

If that happens, Butt does not see a long, drawn-out inquest. He sees a clean break.

“If that happens I think he'd be gone. Both from The FA side and he'd be gone personally as well. He'll want to get back into club football, he looks like a real club football manager, day to day he wants to be involved in it. Obviously the England job came along, it's a massive job, it's one of the biggest jobs in the world. But if it's not a success, I think both parties will want to part ways.”

Brazil, Argentina, Spain – and a possible date with Mexico

Butt’s doubts about England are framed by what he expects from the rest of the field.

He keeps coming back to the climate, the altitude, the miles on the clock – and to one possible last‑16 clash that could tilt the tournament.

“I honestly do think because of the conditions and the heat and the humidity, it’s going to be really tough. We could play Mexico in Mexico City in the last 16.”

That scenario alone would test England’s legs and nerve. Against that backdrop, Butt’s favourites are familiar names.

“It'd be crazy not to look at Brazil or Argentina as favourites,” he said. “Obviously Brazil aren't the team that used to be with Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Roberto Carlos. They've not got superstar names like that, or as many.

“Spain are the favourites and you can see that as they can handle the hit and they'll have a big following. I could see that they'd be there or thereabouts, but for me I've just got Brazil and Argentina stuck in my head. I just think it'll be them.”

England, then, stand somewhere between promise and peril: a young group, a ruthless manager, a rising wildcard in Rogers – and a World Cup that may demand a brutal decision on one of the nation’s brightest stars.