Thomas Tuchel has explained why he has taken the decision to leave Jude Bellingham out of his England squad for the nation's upcoming fixtures.
After undergoing shoulder surgery during the summer, the Real Madrid star was not in a position to feature against Andorra and Serbia in September.
However, Bellingham has recently racked up 100 minutes spread across four appearances, with a fifth expected to come versus Villarreal on Saturday.
Rather than be reintegrated back into the Three Lions fold, the 22-year-old was one of a number of high-profile absentees when Tuchel revealed his latest squad on Friday.
Tuchel has made just one change to his squad, the German hinting that rewarding players from the last camp was his priority for this one.
Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham pictured in June 2025
Stability over stars
Explaining his decision, Tuchel said "The last camp was only three and a half weeks ago. Teamwork, team spirit were at the highest level so far.
"That's why we decided to invite the same group into this camp, to make more stable what we started to build. Are there players out there who deserve to be with us? Yes, for sure. Is there a way back into the team through performance? 100 per cent.
"We think this is the best and most straightforward position. The competition is on to be in the squad and to make it onto the pitch.
"I understand your focus on Jude [Bellingham]; he is a very special player, and for special players, there are special rules. But for this camp we decided to stick with out decision to invite the same team, that also applies to Jude. He always deserves to be in camp.
"There is also the situation that he hasn't gathered his full rhythm for Real Madrid. He hasn't finished one full match until now; he has only started one now. He is getting back to full strength. We had a phone call. There is no issue from that side, he just lacks rhythm."
Real Madrid head coach Xabi Alonso on September 27, 2025
Alonso weighs in on Bellingham debate
While it remains up in the air whether Bellingham will return for November's games, Real Madrid head coach Xabi Alonso feels that the playmaker's absence will only be short term.
Speaking to reporters, Alonso said: "It’s just a matter of time before Bellingham returns as part of England squad”.
“He’s feeling better from his injury, eager to contribute and contribute. It’s just a matter of time before he reaches his best”.
Bellingham has made a total of one start and three substitute outings for Los Blancos, featuring for 70 minutes in the 5-2 defeat to Atletico Madrid.
The expectation is that he will feature against Villarreal this weekend before having an unforeseen period of recovery before resuming action for Real Madrid later this month.
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