Ben Chilwell is targeting a return to the England squad but admits he still has plenty of work to do to convince head coach Thomas Tuchel to hand him a recall.
The 28-year-old has made 21 appearances for the Three Lions since his debut in 2018, but has not featured for the side since 2024.
The left-back who joined French club Strasbourg in the summer after a tough end to his spell at Chelsea, however remains determined to make a shock return to the team ahead of next year’s World Cup.
Thomas Tuchel has several options to call upon, with top contenders for the position including Manchester City’s Nico O’Reily and Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly.
“What a story it would be if I went to the World Cup after I was in the [Chelsea] bomb squad and everyone had counted me out 12 months prior.
“It would just be the biggest middle finger to so many people, which to me is a motivation. Chelsea were honest with me and there’s no resentment, but of course I’ve got an ego, so it would be a nice feeling to prove some people wrong”, Chilwell admitted.
Chilwell terminated his contract at Chelsea before moving to France in the summer where he has played eight time for Strasbourg as he continues his journey to full fitness.
The defender was forced to miss 2022 World Cup after suffering an unfortunate ACL tear in 2021, which also cost him his spot at the London side.
“Probably 99 out of 100 people are saying, ‘No, he’s not going, and it is impossible to go to the World Cup’”, he continued.
“We’ve had conversations since he’s got the job at England. I’ll try and word it right – it has been said that it’s not out of the equation.”
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