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⚽ Wayne Rooney has weighed in on England’s World Cup camp, claiming Thomas Tuchel may have used one star as a public example to send a clear message to the rest of the squad.

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Wayne Rooney claims Thomas Tuchel made public example of England star to send message to World Cup squad

Kyle Walker passionately defends Jordan Pickford after Troy Deeney’s comments

THOMAS TUCHEL deliberately made an example of Djed Spence during a recent training session, claims former England captain Wayne Rooney.

The Three Lions boss was caught on camera repeatedly shouting “wake up” at full-back Spence ahead of the bore 0-0 draw with Ghana on Tuesday night.

A man in a hooded jacket and dark blue shirt standing on a green field.
Thomas Tuchel shouted ‘wake up!’ at Djed Spence during a training sessionCredit: x.com/HaytersTV
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Wayne Rooney gave his opinion on the exchange between Tuchel and SpenceCredit: BBC
FIFA World Cup 2026 - England Training
Spence was singled out in training by TuchelCredit: Reuters
England v Ghana: Group L - FIFA World Cup 2026
The full-back, 25, earned a start against GhanaCredit: Getty

The Tottenham star, 25, had come on as a substitute during England‘s opening 4-2 victory over Croatia.

Tuchel then summoned him into his starting XI to take on Ghana – before singling Spence out again during a hydration break.

Appearing as a pundit on the BBC, Rooney theorised of the training ground incident: “I think that was intended.

“I think for Thomas Tuchel, you have the open session, you have the 15 minutes which the press are allowed in for, and very rarely do you see the manager coaching the team in that.

“You see them doing the box playing stuff, but I think that was intended, and that was a message sent to the media and to the fans, but also to his players.”

Tottenham star Spence was unbothered about the incident when asked about it by talkSPORT.

Heaping praise on his international boss, Spence said: “It’s normal. He’s a great manager. He wants the best from his players.

“He demands high standards and for this tournament, we need to be ready, we need to be on it.

Illustration of Djeb Spence's soccer statistics, including a heatmap of his movement on the field, 53 touches, 0 shots, 45 passes, 1 tackle, 0 dribbles, and 1 duel won.

“Every session needs to be of the highest quality. That’s what he demands. It’s good. I wouldn’t be the only one he says it to. It’s part of the game.

“I think he’s a great manager, he’s a great guy. Very detailed in what he wants to do. I’ve got great respect for him.

“It’s like what he always says, we’re building a family, we’ve built a brotherhood within the team, everyone has one dream, one brain.

“I think everyone is on the same path. We can do special things. I think he’s built that environment with this squad.”

Spence played 66 minutes before being replaced by Nico O’Reilly as England drew 0-0 with Ghana in Massachusetts.

Before the match he made headlines as he refused to shake Thomas Partey’s hand.

England return to action this Saturday as they take on Panama in New Jersey.

World Cup 2026 – all the info

LET’S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!

This year’s World Cup is like no other as a record-breaking 48 nations compete to lift football’s biggest prize.

England manager Thomas Tuchel is hoping to finally bring football home after a 60-year drought.

But footballing legends Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have other plans in what will likely be their final World Cup appearance.

SunSport have got everything you need for the huge tournament

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