Maguire, Foden, White: What did Tuchel learn from England fringe faces?

A fascinating social experiment was considered on Friday evening at Wembley Stadium, under the guise of an international football friendly.

Namely, what happens when you throw the best part of two-dozen players who have seldom shared a pitch together under the bright lights?

Thomas Tuchel discovered much - and also very little - from fielding England's fringe faces and second-string contenders against Uruguay.

Firstly, it is the sense that the German knows few of these players are likely to push their way into a first-choice XI for June's World Cup.

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The former Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain boss wanted a fair shake. Critics cannot particularly argue that he gave plenty of names that.

There were back-from-the-cold caps for Harry Maguire and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, debuts for the vaunted James Trafford and James Garner.

But on the whole, a disjointed performance marked by Ben White's zero-to-hero-to-zero act will be the sparse legacy of a stilted 1-1 stalemate.

Several faces will now be cut before Tuesday's match with Japan wraps up the international break, with the arrival of several veteran stars too.

For all intents and purposes, the faces who will join up now - led by Harry Kane - feel mostly locks to be on the plane to North America.

So what did Tuchel learn from this affair? Which players pushed their case to find their way into his thinking? And who maybe blew their audition?

The yays

If there appeared to be one winner from this game, then it was Manchester United defender Maguire, capping off a remarkable return to the ranks.

The centre-back looked mostly assured against a broadly toothless Uruguay attack, and held the captain's armband for the second half of the game.

Having not been previously called up by Tuchel during the German's reign, his performance and experience on this stage may swing matters for him.

Elsewhere, debutant Trafford - starved for minutes at Manchester City - suggested he could be the leading understudy for Jordan Pickford in goal too.

Newcastle's Tino Livramento worked solidly at right-back, Everton man Garner held his own and Barcelona's Marcus Rashford offered firm flashes.

From the bench, Cole Palmer did himself no damage with a lively cameo off the bench, setting up White's opening goal and showcasing his skills.

The nays

It's been a difficult year for Phil Foden, and it appears it may only get tougher for the once-wunderkid viewed as a likely cornerstone for England glory.

Struggling for minutes at Manchester City, the attacking midfielder was given the chance to stamp his name as a number-ten option from the off here.

Instead, he appeared subdued throughout, his lack of spark held in stark light after Palmer replaced him - a recurring feature of his Three Lions career.

Tottenham full-back Djed Spence may yet benefit from a lack of depth in his position, but he too struggled to show enough to justify making the squad.

Noni Madueke meanwhile looked to be going well before injury cut off his steam, with the Arsenal man subsequently leaving Wembley in a leg brace.

Leeds United's Calvert-Lewin meanwhile squandered a glorious chance off the bench on his long-awaited return. This may be as far as he goes now.

The fence-sitters

While some faces pushed their cases and others lost their papers, a few will be sat nervously waiting to see if they get another chance in the mix too.

White's return to the England fold saw him booed on his arrival, booed when he scored the opener, and booed when he conceded that crucial penalty.

The Arsenal defender offers coverage that Tuchel may value, but his cameo will have left mixed emotions in its wake, to say the least on his role here.

Jordan Henderson's experience means he is likely a lock for a squad spot, but the jury is still out on him, as it is on West Ham's Jarrod Bowen as well.

Dominic Solanke may benefit from Calvert-Lewin's softer turn, but the Spurs man will want a strong finish to the season. Ditto Newcastle's Harvey Barnes.

Magpies man Lewis Hall will likely benefit from space at left-back, but still faces a nervous few weeks, while AC Milan's Fikayo Tomori was solid and unfussy.

Lastly, midfield duo Adam Wharton and Kobbie Mainoo failed to fire too much, but their trajectory suggests a place in the squad feels more likely than others.

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