Paul Scholes claimed England have no chance of winning the 2026 World Cup without three players.

England are among the favourites to go all the way in North America for this summer’s World Cup. Thomas Tuchel and Harry Kane are tasked with leading England’s charge as the Three Lions are aiming to win their first World Cup since 1966.

They face old Croatia, Ghana and Panama in Group L, having qualified for the World Cup in dominant fashion, winning each of their eight qualifiers.

Tuchel announced his 26-man squad last week, naming the likes of Morgan Rogers and Jude Bellingham. Rogers has emerged as a key player under Tuchel, having excelled in the No.10 position in the World Cup qualifiers.

The Aston Villa star, who helped his side win the Europa League and secure a top-four finish in the Premier League, has been tipped to start at the World Cup ahead of the Real Madrid man.

But Scholes has backed Bellingham and believes he should be in the starting XI when England open their campaign on June 17.

That’s judging by his comments in October after Bellingham was left out of the England squad for their game against Latvia last year. Scholes also couldn’t believe Phil Foden and Jack Grealish weren’t in Tuchel’s squad last October, with both players failing to make the German boss’ World Cup squad.

“I was a little bit surprised. Those three players, they have to be in his squad and they will be in his squad for the World Cup,” Scholes said on The Overlap.

“If you look at the squad now, you would say they have virtually no chance of winning the World Cup. Even with those three players, it’s still a big ask, but it gives you more of a chance of winning the cup.

“Jude Bellingham has missed a little bit of football, but he’s fit now so I would have brought him back in. Thomas Tuchel hasn’t got many games left now until the World Cup actually starts. It’s only the November break and then the March one and then we’re there so we need to get these players playing.”

A lot has happened since October, with Bellingham the only one of the three to make England’s World Cup squad.

Jude Bellingham

After missing England’s 5-0 victory over Latvia, Bellingham returned to the fold as a substitute against Serbia before returning to the starting XI in their 2-0 win over Albania.

The 22-year-old went on to make 40 appearances across all competitions for Real, who endured an underwhelming 2025/26 campaign after failing to win a single piece of silverware.

He has scored eight goals this season and made Tuchel’s squad, but whether he starts remains one of the big talking points about the team.

Jack Grealish

Grealish almost forced his way back into the England reckoning following his performances for Everton after joining the club on loan from Manchester City this season.

Despite his stellar outings for Everton, he was omitted from Tuchel’s squad in October, which included a friendly against Wales and a World Cup qualifier versus Latvia.

But his chances of making Tuchel’s World Cup squad were dashed after he suffered a season-ending injury in January. He suffered a foot injury that required surgery, ruling him out of this summer’s tournament.

Phil Foden

Foden was in Tuchel’s party for England’s friendlies against Uruguay and Japan in March, playing in both games, and featured in their World Cup qualifying campaign.

However, the 26-year-old was overlooked for the World Cup after suffering a dip in form at Manchester City, where he fell out of favour under Pep Guardiola.

He played a bit part role in the business end of the season, with Tuchel opting to leave him at home. Foden was one of the biggest names to be left out of England’s World Cup squad.

Tottenham Hotspur have been dealt a major blow in the transfer market after it emerged that one star Roberto De Zerbi wants to keep has already agreed terms with another club.

Spurs avoided relegation on the final day of the season thanks to a 1-0 win over Everton, and are now looking to strengthen their squad ahead of the World Cup to ensure that scenario isn’t repeated next season.

De Zerbi has already green-lit deals for Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi, who will join on free transfers from Liverpool and Bournemouth respectively once their contracts expire, but he now looks set to lose a key member of the squad that helped them earn survival.

Palhinha Reaches Agreement With Sporting CP

According to Portuguese outlet A Bola, Spurs loanee Joao Palhinha has already reached an agreement with former club Sporting CP about a return to his homeland this summer.

The holding midfielder, who scored vital goals against Wolves and Everton in the battle for survival, spent the season on loan from Bayern Munich, and the Lilywhites hold the option to make the move permanent, with De Zerbi previously admitting that he wanted to keep the Portugal international at the club, having described him as ‘one of the best’.

It’s understood that Palhinha is also open to staying at the north London club, but with Spurs unsure about triggering the clause, it has allowed Sporting to enter the race to take the 30-year-old back to Lisbon, and they have now agreed personal terms with him.

Sporting haven’t closed a deal though, as they still need to negotiate a fee with Bayern Munich. It’s reported that Sporting would prefer to strike a deal for a loan with an option to buy, and negotiations are ongoing with the Bundesliga giants about whether that is possible.

Spurs Plans Take Massive Hit

While Palhinha isn’t the most exciting signing around, he proved his worth at the back end of the season with his performances on the pitch and his leadership qualities.

He managed to change the mind of De Zerbi and became a key player. So for De Zerbi to enter the new season without him, having openly admitted that he wants him to stay at the club would be a major blow to the team, but also to their plans for the summer window.

In what is likely to be a hugely busy transfer market anyway, Spurs have lots of areas to address, and they won’t have been planning on replacing him, which makes their task that little bit more difficult ahead of a hugely important season.

Manchester City might be facing 115 charges of wrongdoing, but Ruben Dias is facing a singular charge of his own that he’s currently doing his best to fend off.

Dias is one of the finest defenders in the world. He was a cornerstone of Pep Guardiola’s City side and a former Ballon d’Or nominee. Since joining City from Benfica in 2020 for around £65 million, he’s near-enough picked up where Vincent Kompany had left off the year before.

He was named the Premier League Player of the Season in his debut campaign and collected four Premier League titles and a Champions League winners’ medal.

On the pitch, his reputation is unimpeachable. But off it, his personal life attracted huge public attention when his relationship with one of Britain’s most recognisable TV presenters became tabloid fodder.

Ruben Dias and Maya Jama: A High-Profile Romance Under the Spotlight

Dias and Maya Jama were together for approximately 18 months, with their relationship attracting massive amounts of media attention given both their profiles.

Jama is one of the UK’s biggest presenting talents, fronting the ever-popular reality show Love Island, and boasting a huge following on social media. The pairing of a Champions League winner and a primetime television personality was always going to draw eyes, and for the most part, the couple appeared to navigate the spotlight with a good degree of composure.

However, the relationship is understood to have come to an end just before Jama departed for Scotland to film Celebrity Traitors a few weeks ago. Almost immediately, rumours began to circulate over the reason for their break-up, with suggestions of infidelity directed squarely at Dias.

In screenshots reported by The Sun and allegedly dating back to March, Dias appeared to have been following and unfollowing model Catarina Duraes on social media. A similar pattern was reportedly observed with another woman last November. While there was no suggestion that Dias had directly messaged either woman or crossed any physical line, an insider told the publication that the behaviour “will raise eyebrows.”

The term “toe dipping,” used to describe flirtatious social media activity while in a committed relationship, began trending in connection with the 29-year-old’s name.

Ruben Dias Issues Lengthy Denial On Instagram

After weeks of silence, Dias addressed the rumours head-on with a lengthy statement posted to Instagram, and the trigger for it all was rather personal:

He went on to flatly deny the allegations, stating that the relationship had always been built on mutual respect and that no line was ever crossed: “A lie told often enough can start to feel like the truth and for that reason I tell you that I didn’t cheat, nor did I ever have the intention or temptation to.”

Dias also made a point of affirming his respect for Jama, writing: “I believe Maya deserves all the respect in the world.”

However, the City defender stopped short of revealing the actual reasons behind the split, insisting that those details remain private: “The reasons why we broke up are private and belong to us and we’ve both dealt with it in a very mature way. I’ve always chosen to remain silent on these matters as my personal life is my business only.”

Read Dias’ full statement below:

He concluded by asking for respect for both himself and his former partner, and made the broader point that infidelity isn’t the only reason a relationship can end.

It seems as though Dias has made his position abundantly clear. Whether the statement fully draws a line under the speculation is a totally different question, though.