Ahead of the England international friendly fixtures against Uruguay and Japan, Thomas Tuchel has named his sqaud. In a tweak on usual plans, he has also revealed the 11 players will be joining up with the team a little later.
With the 2026 World Cup approaching fast on the horizon, the German clearly wants to get a good look at his options in his last squad selection before the tournament begins. Indeed, he named a 35-man squad, with some interesting players given a chance.
Notably, Brighton's Jason Steele has been handed his first call-up at the age of 35, with a total of five goalkeepers called up. Everton's James Garner is also in line to make his England debut, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Dominic Solanke have earned recalls.
Not all the players involved will link up with the team immediately, with 11 stars set to miss the Three Lions' first friendly against Uruguay next Friday.
Harry Kane Among Those Who Won't Play Against Uruguay
England's Harry Kane playing against Serbia
Speaking to the press, Tuchel revealed that captain Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Morgan Rogers, Anthony Gordon, Elliott Anderson, Nico O’Reilly, Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa, Dan Burn and Dean Henderson will only join his squad ahead of the Japan game.
Explaining the thinking behind this plan, he said (via The Independent):
"These guys have played 3,500 minutes, some 4,000 minutes [this season]. More important than the pure number of minutes is some of these guys have played more minutes than the whole of last season.
“All of these players have contributed in September, October and November. They have credit with me. To give them a break mentally and physically, we will benefit from it.”
Going into more detail about why he is looking to split the break up into two camps, the German added: “The reality of the March camp is that players, our players are in a crucial moment in the club football season. They fight for titles. They fight a relegation battle. They are involved in knockout matches, in cup matches, so it is a crucial moment of the season, a very stressful moment of the season for them.
“But it is also our last camp [before the World Cup], the last opportunity to impress, the last opportunity for players to compete for their ticket. So it is a bit of a mix of motives.”
With Kane absent, it will be interesting to see who gets the nod to lead the line out of Calvert-Lewin and Solanke. With Rice and Anderson also missing, Kobbie Mainoo could return for a start in midfield.
Tuchel Will Use Squad Split to Help Make Call Over Number 10 Options
england phil foden
One of the biggest debates around the team right now is about who will play the number 10 role for England at the World Cup. With this in mind, Tuchel revealed that likes of Cole Palmer and Phil Foden will be competing for minutes in the Uruguay game, while Rogers, Jude Bellingham and Eberechi Eze will be given a chance to shine in the Japan friendly three days later.
“I think we need clarity around every position,” he said. “I think it will be very unlikely that we bring three, four, five players for one position into camp or into the World Cup. I think this will just confuse everyone.
“Of course, if you have the choice between world-class players in the No 10 position, at some point we will have to make tough calls, but now it's about camp.
“In the first part of the camp it's Cole Palmer and Phil Foden. In the second part of the camp, it will be then Jude, Morgan and Eze, who is always in the mix for any for any position in the No 10 and on the wing.
“The competition is on, but we will also share it in bites that we have two players for one game competing. Then it's on the players to show their quality. Then it's on me to take a decision.”