England Player Ratings: Teenage phenoms can give Thomas Tuchel World Cup dilemma

England Player Ratings: Teenage phenoms can give Thomas Tuchel World Cup dilemmaIn our weekly series, the Mirror's Chief Football Writer John Cross gives his England player ratings as young stars and one Premier League captain give Thomas Tuchel much to ponderSportopinionJohn Cross Chief Football Writer16:30, 13 Apr 2026Updated 16:30, 13 Apr 2026View 3 ImagesRio Ngumoha and Max Dowman are both teenage sensations - could either be a World Cup wildcard pick?Rio Ngumoha proved just what a special talent he is at Anfield.The Liverpool forward, 17, scored a wonderful goal, has incredibly quick feet and is clearly destined for the very top.Equally, Arsenal whizkid Max Dowman, 16, has got people within the game raving about him as a generational talent who has the potential to become among the best in the world. But they are so young and so it begs the question over whether Thomas Tuchel should roll the dice and take one of them to the World Cup this summer.England boss Tuchel says he is leaving the door open for Dowman on the basis of why close it when he could make a difference this summer and you do not have to decide now. But here’s something into the mix… Tuchel was hired to win the World Cup and given an 18 month contract to deliver the biggest trophy so he did not need to think about the future or leaving a legacy.However, the Football Association gave him a new contract to take him until 2028 and now he does have to think beyond this summer. Suddenly Tuchel has to worry about the next Euros, if taking either Dowman or Ngumoha will have a longer term impact on their development rather than just take them and be done with it.Both of them have the ability to be game-changers from the bench while the argument is probably whether going to the World Cup - maybe getting only five minutes or even none - is worth it.Content cannot be displayed without consentJOIN US ON FACEBOOK! Latest news, analysis and much more on Mirror Football's Facebook pageLet’s see. Dowma...