Marc Guehi sends clear message to Thomas Tuchel with latest stellar England showing

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Marc Guehi's stark rise to prominence has been so compelling - you cannot help but wonder where his career might turn next. It's no stretch to state he already looks a staple for next summer's World Cup and by the time the illustrious 48-team tournament comes around, he may have already signed a pre-contract agreement to join one of Europe's most-prestigious clubs. Guehi, a consummate, level-head professional who wholeheartedly despises the limelight, is no longer one of the Premier League's best-kept secrets. In fact, a string of the continent's heavyweights including Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Barcelona are said to be considering rivalling Liverpool for his signature in 2026. While there are still some selection issues to resolve at full-back, England's defence appears to be in safe hands with Guehi. Not only has he marshalled the second-best backline - statistically - in the top-flight this season in Crystal Palace but he is now adding international assists to his repertoire. For the record, there were two here at Wembley and both perfectly encapsulated not only the tenacity of Guehi but his burning desire to both compete and succeed. The first for Morgan Rogers' third-minute opener was about sheer will and refusing to give up on what was effectively a lost cause.

The ball was about to scurry behind before Guehi grit his teeth and displayed impeccable control before feeding Rogers to slam home.

Yet he wasn't done there as eight minutes later, he glanced Rogers' dangerous cutback across the face of goal for Ollie Watkins to turn in.

If anyone dared wonder whether the collapse of his deadline switch to Liverpool would impact Guehi - they would not have expected it to have done so in such a positive way.

The following day, he reported for duty at St George's Park and simply got down to business. He has since gone from strength to strength, notching his first Three Lions goal in Belgrade last month and he now looks like a player England cannot live without.

Remarkably, when Crystal Palace first came knocking for Guehi in the summer of 2021, then-Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel saw no reason to interject.

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The great irony of it all, of course, is that even after an estimated £1.5billion spend under Clearlake Capital, Guehi still walks into Enzo Maresca's Club World Cup-winning side. Not only that but the FA Cup-winning captain has now become a cornerstone of Tuchel's England team.

When Harry Maguire's calf injury saw him omitted from Gareth Southgate's Euro 2024 squad, there was lingering unease as to who would partner John Stones. Stones and Maguire - regardless of his Manchester United struggles - had never let their country down. Replacing an experienced fan-favourite in Maguire initially appeared a thankless task but from minute one of the Group C opener in Gelsenkirchen against Serbia, right up until the full-time whistle against Spain in Berlin, Guehi rose to the occasion and flourished. Furthermore, it's perhaps easy to forget that Guehi was an unused substitute in Tuchel's opening match - a 2-0 win over Albania in March - as England head coach. Fast-forward seven months and he has almost become indispensable. He is now part of Tuchel's spine and looks one of only few shoo-ins for the World Cup.

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