Mar 30, 2026, 12:14 PM
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England boss Thomas Tuchel said that Arsenal duo Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka were "desperate" to play in the friendly against Japan but the risk for them to play any part was deemed too high.
Saka and Rice were among eight players, including Arsenal teammate Noni Madueke, who were omitted from the squad on Saturday.
That came after Tuchel's initial announcement that the squad for the March camp would be split into two groups within the larger 35-man squad, with 11 players who weren't involved in the draw against Uruguay to come back for the Japan game.
Saka and Rice are two of those 11 who will now miss the Japan friendly at Wembley, returning to Arsenal for a "medical assessment", with Tuchel making it clear on Monday that they were eager to play.
"They [Saka and Rice] wanted desperately to play, to get the narrative straight, but it made no sense to make the risk," Tuchel told a news conference.
Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice were two headline omissions from the England squad this week. Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
"If it was the last game of the season we would have kept them, but in this moment of the season it did not make sense.
"The risk for making it was way too big. They were both clearly in discomfort when we did the medical assessment. It made absolutely no sense that they stayed."
Madueke, John Stones and Adam Wharton have also left the camp through injury meaning there has been alot of change to Tuchel's original squad.
Despite this, the German coach believes it is part of the reality of players competing on more than one front heading into the business end of the season.
"Not disappointed with the players, disappointed with the fact," Tuchel said.
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"It's the reality of the season, the reality of the end of March, reality of players involved in more than one competition.
"We have players in camp that have already played more minutes than last season, so there is some concern. The players deserve the mental break from football, and we could see the energy with which they came back to camp in a new environment.
"It helps them go back to clubs and perform. We want them to perform in their clubs, but it is also our last camp before America, so we want to reconnect to our principles. I'm not upset or angry with the players.
"I got the feeling that everyone was desperate to come. Some of the injured players even stayed to do their treatment, that shows they want to be around the group. No one left straight away, it's a good spirit and that's how it should be."