Butt Backs Tuchel to Drop England Stars and Tips Rogers to Shine
Nicky Butt has never been one to sugar-coat. He doesn’t start now.
The former England midfielder is convinced Thomas Tuchel will be ruthless at the 2026 World Cup, insisting the national team’s biggest stars – Jude Bellingham included – will be hooked without a second thought if they fail to deliver.
At the heart of his prediction sits a bold claim: Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers could force his way past Bellingham and become England’s breakout star of the tournament.
Bellingham’s bruising build-up, Rogers on the rise
Bellingham heads into the World Cup on the back of a stuttering, injury-hit campaign with Real Madrid. A shoulder problem, followed by a hamstring injury, disrupted his rhythm and robbed him of long stretches of the season. He still managed 40 appearances in all competitions, starting 30 of them, but this was not the seamless, unstoppable rise many expected.
Rogers’ year went in the opposite direction.
The 23-year-old arrives with momentum surging behind him after a standout season for Aston Villa, who lifted the Europa League and finished fourth in the Premier League. Across those two competitions, Rogers produced 13 goals and 11 assists – numbers that demand attention, not just curiosity.
His role with England has grown quickly as well. Since his debut in 2024, he has featured in 13 of the national team’s 14 matches, a clear sign that Tuchel already trusts him in big moments. Butt believes that trust could soon turn into something more significant.
Speaking to Paddy Power, Butt set out the hierarchy as it stands: Harry Kane, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and Jude Bellingham are, in his words, the “superstars”. Then he pointed to Rogers as the one who “could be the one that really stands out.”
A Tuchel player in a Tuchel tournament
For Butt, the key lies in how Bellingham starts the tournament – and how Tuchel reacts if he doesn’t ignite it.
“It’ll depend on how Jude Bellingham starts the tournament,” Butt said. If the Real Madrid midfielder opens the World Cup “on fire,” the picture changes. But if he’s “not on the ball” or Kane “needs to be coming” deeper because the goals aren’t flowing, Butt can see the door opening for Rogers.
There’s always one, he argues. One player who arrives as a squad option and leaves as a star.
Rogers, he feels, fits the mould. Butt describes him as a classic Tuchel player, particularly in that number ten role. Someone who can find space, link play, and strike from distance. That last part matters. Butt pointed out that many World Cup goals come from outside the box, with opponents often camped deep around their own penalty area. A forward-thinking midfielder who can punish that from range suddenly becomes invaluable.
Butt believes Rogers has what he calls the “X-factor.” The Villa man “scores goals,” recovered from a mid-season dip, and finished the campaign strongly. Butt can easily picture him coming off the bench “a few times” and scoring “some really important goals,” the sort that flip tight knockout ties and alter the course of a tournament.
In Butt’s mind, the starting XI “picks itself” at the outset, and Rogers will not walk into it immediately. The hinge point is Bellingham’s form – and Tuchel’s tolerance for underperformance.
One thing about Tuchel, Butt stressed, is that “he doesn't give a f*ck about player egos or the perception.” If Bellingham “is not playing well,” Butt fully expects the England manager to “take him out of the firing line and put Rogers straight in.”
From there, the ceiling is high. Butt can see a scenario where Rogers emerges as “England’s best player in the tournament,” such is his belief in the Villa man’s ability. He points to a familiar World Cup storyline: players who arrive as bit-part squad members and leave as superstars. “It’s happened with so many players over the years,” he said. Rogers, in his eyes, is built to be the next.
Doubts over England’s chances – and Tuchel’s future
For all his excitement about Rogers, Butt is far less optimistic about England’s overall prospects.
He talks about “conditions” as a decisive factor – the heat, the humidity, the sheer volume of travel. All of it, he feels, stacks the odds against a young England squad still learning how to win on the biggest stage.
“I personally think it would be a success to get to the final stages – the semi or the final,” he said. Yet he knows how the conversation will go if England fall short. “With our expectations as a nation, I think even a semi might be seen as a failure.”
He doesn’t share that view. For him, a semi-final would be creditable progress. But he is blunt about the ultimate prize: “I can't see us winning it.” The conditions, the logistics, the weight of expectation – they all add up to a mountain he doesn’t believe this group will climb.
A true failure, in Butt’s eyes, would be failing to get out of the group. Anything short of a semi-final, though, will trigger a fierce inquest, especially given the high-profile names Tuchel has left at home.
Butt lists them: Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Harry Maguire, Trent Alexander-Arnold. All omitted, all headline-makers in their own right. Some are out of form, he notes, but their absence will shape the narrative if England stumble.
If England do not reach the latter stages, Butt is clear where the blame will land. “The finger will be pointed straight at Thomas Tuchel,” he said.
And he doesn’t see Tuchel riding out that storm. If it unravels, Butt expects an end to the relationship from both sides. From The FA, who will look at the talent available and the decisions made. And from Tuchel himself, who Butt believes is, at heart, a club manager who craves the day-to-day intensity of domestic football.
The England job, Butt acknowledges, is “one of the biggest jobs in the world.” But if this World Cup ends in disappointment, he thinks “both parties will want to part ways.”
Brazil, Argentina, Spain – and a possible date with Mexico
When Butt looks beyond England, his focus settles on the teams he feels are best equipped for the brutal conditions.
He sees a potential last-16 clash with Mexico in Mexico City as a daunting prospect for England, both in terms of environment and atmosphere. The altitude, the heat, the home advantage – it’s exactly the kind of tie he believes will test European sides to their limit.
On the wider field, he keeps coming back to South America.
“It’d be crazy not to look at Brazil or Argentina as favourites,” he said. He accepts that Brazil no longer boast the galaxy of names that once lit up the World Cup – no Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho or Roberto Carlos – and fewer megastars in general. But the combination of climate familiarity, pedigree and tournament know-how still makes them, in his mind, the teams to beat.
He also highlights Spain as a major threat. Their technical style, their comfort in the heat, and the size of their travelling support all make them, he feels, a side built for this particular World Cup. He expects them to be “there or thereabouts.”
Even so, his instincts won’t shift. “For me I've just got Brazil and Argentina stuck in my head,” he admitted. “I just think it'll be them.”
So England head into 2026 with a young squad, a hard-nosed manager, and a rising talent in Morgan Rogers who, Butt insists, could turn the tournament on its head. The question now is not just whether England can survive the conditions and the pressure – but whether Tuchel will really be willing to tear up his star-studded script and hand the stage to the new kid if the moment demands it.
