Why Madueke became Tuchel’s right-wing favourite

Madueke Tuchel – Noni Madueke’s rise through the FA pathway took a sharp turn after an England youth dressing-down about defensive work and attitude—one he turned into a run of performances that has earned Thomas Tuchel’s trust at World Cup level. Despite long-running doubts,

On a cool September afternoon in 2019, at a camp with three friendlies, Noni Madueke was seen as having everything you could want in a winger—until the room decided to take it personally.

Back then. when the talent was stacked and the margin for error was tiny. Ian Foster watched flashes that made the point obvious: Madueke had the technical ability and tactical understanding. But he also saw “parts I found particularly frustrating – defensive work and his attitude towards that.” Those weren’t throwaway complaints. They became the message of the cycle.

The England staff didn’t just talk. Foster gathered some coaches and analysts and showed them a slide-and-film comparison anchored to what Gareth Southgate’s senior side had done in victories over Bulgaria and Kosovo. Foster and his group used Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford as the reference points—the kind of wingers who do the dirty work without needing permission.

Madueke sat through it at the international set-up in October. with Foster arriving for his international duties. and the presentation carried a warning: talent alone wouldn’t get him in. Foster described the reminder bluntly—“you need to offer more than ability.” He added that talented wingers can show they can choose when to do the hard bits. but at the top level you can’t avoid it.

Then Foster says Madueke answered with his own language. “Right, watch me.”

A month later, the performances changed. He scored an “unbelievable goal in Poland” a month after that session, and by November he captained the team based on his behaviours off the pitch. Foster’s phrasing was simple: “The penny dropped.”

That turning point is now part of the explanation for why Madueke has become a shoo-in for England with Thomas Tuchel, starting both games at this World Cup so far. It also helps put into focus why his place is discussed ahead of players such as Cole Palmer or Phil Foden.

The story doesn’t start in September 2019, but it’s defined by what happened next. In the FA’s Under-18s setup. a group that gathered 792 people at Alfreton Town produced a long line of senior internationals. In that environment. England’s youngsters—featuring Cole Palmer. James Trafford and Tino Livramento—beat South Korea by two unanswered goals scored before half-time almost seven years ago. Palmer scored one of them. The other came from a youngster who. at the time. was dealing with persistent question marks and still carries some version of them today.

Morgan Rogers was there too around that period, having completed a seven-figure move to Manchester City weeks earlier. For the staff at the FA, the race for positions wasn’t only about who had the best highlight reel. It was about who could stay visible while leaving academy football behind and still deliver the “one per cent” that separates true international honours from talented promises.

Madueke’s timeline is full of the kind of twists that fuel doubt. He was 17 when he turned down Manchester United when leaving Tottenham for PSV Eindhoven in search of first-team football. Spurs, it’s said, didn’t appear to put up much of a fight when PSV came calling. His move to Chelsea then became a slow burn. and last summer there was outcry when Arsenal spent £50million on him. with supporters organising a petition against the signing.

Even with all that noise. the people who know him insist the reason England trust him now is straightforward: he has been shaped into a winger who can contribute on the biggest stage. Those who worked with him describe him as an FA project—someone who follows instructions and mucks in. Foster’s comments underline the same point: when you’ve got players trying to get into the side. you need more than ability. He says Madueke’s performances after the dressing down were “outstanding. ” and that his behaviours off the pitch helped him earn captaincy too.

For Tuchel, that reliability has mattered. Madueke was England’s most dangerous attacker against Ghana before losing his way in the second half. but even in that uneven rhythm he produced moments that forced attention. There were also early examples of his willingness to work the angles—moments in which he fed Reece James or headed for the byline.

At the centre of his push forward is a habit that England staff see as both practical and mindset-based: relentless repetitions of practising off both feet. The goal wasn’t just “trickery.” It made him a trickier winger, able to go inside or outside when met with a marker.

And when things go wrong—because they always do at this level—Madueke has another trait the staff appreciate in tournaments: “goldfish memory.” The description is about speed of recovery. immediately shrugging off a mistake and “going again.” In major tournaments. where criticism flies and momentum can swing in seconds. England see that as protection.

There are still conversations about finishers in this competition, and about who will decide how far England go. That’s where Madueke’s role becomes specific. While managing Bukayo Saka’s fitness—his problem is believed to be two-pronged and not only localised to the achilles—Madueke has been tasked with stretching defences for the majority. then letting Saka do the rest.

Saka’s situation has been framed as personal as well as tactical. Close friends who are battling for the same spot for club and country, Saka described it as “unique.” “I don’t really know how it works, but it does,” he said of their relationship.

What staff around England have emphasised is that Madueke’s approach doesn’t shift depending on whether he starts. comes off the bench. or doesn’t play. Foster put it in terms of the team dynamic: “When you’re going away for five weeks. living in each other’s pockets. it can be stressful. Some haven’t been selected in the past because of that. His attitude and behaviours will not change if he starts or finishes or isn’t involved.”.

That resilience was visible during the Under-21 tournament in Georgia. Madueke lost his place for the semi-final and afterwards the final win over Spain, with Emile Smith Rowe preferred. Yet those present in the dressing room didn’t detect any change in his demeanour. Against Spain. he then bounded on from the substitutes’ bench and put in a huge defensive effort as England ended the tournament without conceding a goal.

Within the FA system. there is also a specific thread connecting his decision at 17 to develop abroad and his subsequent rise. Ruud van Nistelrooy coached Madueke for the B team and kept in close contact with England. ensuring both sides were aligned with the development plan. Foster adds that it wasn’t a coincidence: six weeks after that meeting on “the donkey work. ” Madueke was named on the PSV first-team bench and soon made a senior debut. He ended up being “unplayable,” which is why Chelsea paid more than £28m for him.

Foster also describes a recent encounter with van Nistelrooy that captured the atmosphere around Madueke. “We were laughing. ” he said. calling Madueke “such a character.” Foster described him as a great kid who “brightens up a room when he comes in. ” someone who carries a “Glass half full” outlook. He added that Madueke can handle honest. challenging conversations—brave meetings where tactical challenge happens openly. and where that ability to speak freely is reflected on the team.

That same openness shows up in the way England think about his response to extra scrutiny. Others who know the 24-year-old point to his ability to cope with being watched closely—an attitude described as similar to Anthony Gordon’s over the years.

Even so, the story doesn’t pretend there aren’t question marks. Foster acknowledged that question marks exist around his place, but he doesn’t see them as fixed. “I had him for three years and know how special he can be,” he said, insisting that Madueke “has kicked on again.”

For England right now, the core is not just what Madueke can do on the ball. It’s what he does without it. how quickly he recovers. and how consistently he responds to the kind of hard coaching that once made Foster’s frustration impossible to ignore. In that sense. the dressing-down from years ago didn’t just correct a flaw—it shaped the winger Tuchel is leaning on today.

Noni Madueke Thomas Tuchel England World Cup Bukayo Saka FA pathway PSV Chelsea Arsenal Ian Foster Lee Carsley Cole Palmer Phil Foden Ghana