Speaking on Sportpesa’s Shaun Bartlett World Cup Special, Bartlett said the decision caught many off guard.
“It’s amazing how certain players were just excluded from actually starting for the countries. Kobbie Mainoo obviously did extremely well for Manchester United the latter part of the season, and I think everybody expected him to be there. But this boy Anderson just came out of nowhere.”
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Bartlett pointed to Anderson’s rising profile as further proof of his breakthrough. “Now after his big move to Man City, so maybe Tuchel saw something we didn’t.”
Anderson started regularly for England throughout the tournament, with Mainoo largely used as a substitute despite a strong end to the club season with Manchester United, a selection call that Bartlett suggests may say as much about Tuchel’s eye for form as it does about reputation.
Photo: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
