Thomas Tuchel has explained his decision to exclude Jude Bellingham from England’s squad for the games against Wales and Latvia this month.
The Three Lions head coach raised eyebrows with his squad announcement, omitting several high-profile names such as Jack Grealish, Phil Foden and Adam Wharton.
Real Madrid midfielder Bellingham, who was named as England player of the year for the 2024/25 season, also missed out on the squad despite recently returning to action after an injury layoff.
“He wanted to be called up. We had a phone call but he just lacks rhythm,” said Tuchel.
“We stayed with our decision. Jude is a very special player. For special players, there can always be special rules.
“For this camp, we decided to invite the same team. That applies to Jude; he deserves to always be in camp.
“The situation is he has not gathered full rhythm. He hasn’t finished one full match and has only started one match. When he gets back to full strength, there is an extra layer to the decision”, Tuchel concluded.
However, Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka makes a return to the squad after missing the September matches with injury, while club teammate Noni Madueke misses out with injury.
Chelsea’s Cole Palmer was also absent with injury, as well as Newcastle United defender Toni Livramento.
The most surprising absentees were both Grealish and Foden, who both missed out despite impressive forms for their clubs.
England host Wales on the 9th of October in a friendly match, before facing Latvia on the 14th of October in a World Cup qualifying match.
The Three Lions are in pole position to qualify for the 2026 tournament, as they currently have 15 points in Group K, seven more than second-placed Albania.
The squad in full:
Goalkeepers: Henderson, Pickford, Trafford.
Defenders: Burn, Guehi, James, Konsa, Lewis-Skelly, Quansah, Spence, Stones.
Midfielders: Anderson, Gibbs-White, Henderson, Loftus-Cheek, Rice, Rogers.
Forwards: Bowen, Eze, Gordon, Kane, Rashford, Saka, Watkins.
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