England are gearing up for a pair of fixtures against Wales and Latvia over the course of the international break – but some of the Three Lions’ biggest names have not made the journey.
We’ll take a look at five of the most notable omissions from Thomas Tuchel’s most recent England squad and assess why they were left out. We feel some have been left out unfairly – can you guess who they are?
Phil Foden
Phil Foden is a strange case – while he often looks unplayable for Manchester City, he struggles to replicate this form in an England shirt. Many have accused him of being a system player at City and that he cannot adapt to football outside of Pep Guardiola’s tactical structure.
Additionally, he has not been in strong form this season. So far this season in the Premier League, he has scored just one goal and has yet to register a single assist. Based on recent performances, it was probably a reasonable decision to leave Foden out this time.
Jack Grealish
Jack Grealish has been given a new lease of life at Everton. He has hit the ground running at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, scoring one goal and notching up four assists in his first seven games.
Therefore, the decision to leave Grealish in Merseyside seems like an odd one. However, there is strong competition out wide – players such as Eberechi Eze, Marcus Rashford, Jarrod Bowen and Bukayo Saka are all excellent picks. As such, while unfortunate, someone has to miss out – and this time, it was the former Aston Villa man.
Ben White
Arsenal’s Ben White is unlike any other player on this list. He has not played for England since 2022 and may never play for the Three Lions again, with questions surrounding his commitment to international football.
In 2022, he left the England squad for ‘personal reasons’ then asked Gareth Southgate in 2024 to not be included in his team. This, combined with the level competition of competition at right-back, means it is unlikely that we will see the former Brighton man in an England shirt any time soon.
Adam Wharton
Out of all of Tuchel’s omissions, we feel this one is the most confusing. Adam Wharton has been outstanding for Crystal Palace so far this season and could be the answer to England’s midfield question.
By playing Wharton as the holding midfielder, he would free up Declan Rice to function in the box-to-box role, where he excels for Arsenal. Nevertheless, Tuchel decided to stick to what he knows – though we would struggle to justify picking Jordan Henderson and Ruben Loftus-Cheek over one of the best young midfielders in the Premier League.
Jude Bellingham
People were initially stunned by Tuchel’s decision to leave out Jude Bellingham, but he explained himself in a press conference.
Tuchel believes that Bellingham has not found his ‘rhythm’ at Real Madrid this season. He wants to give him a chance to find form, rather than thrusting him into the forefront while he is not playing to the best of his ability.
So far this season, Bellingham has not played a full 90 minutes – unlike former England bosses, Tuchel will not take gambles on big-name players.