Five young players who could get their first England caps as the 2026 Nations League gets underway - including Liverpool, Newcastle & Brighton stars.
After the next round of Premier League fixtures, we embark on the longest mid-season international break ever to take place – three straight weeks without domestic football, during which England will play their first four Nations League fixtures.
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The Three Lions take on Spain, Croatia and Czechia (the latter both home and away) as they begin preparations for their Euro 2028 campaign, and Thomas Tuchel could well use these relatively low-stakes games as an opportunity to take a closer look at some fresh talent.
The England head coach is clearly a man who follows his own heart when it comes to squad selection, so it’s hard to predict what his likely expanded squad will look like when it’s announced on Friday – but there are a handful of uncapped players whose recent form has propelled them to the front of the queue for debuts.
Alex Scott – Bournemouth
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Being a member of the England training squad, as Scott was ahead of the 2026 World Cup, doesn’t necessarily guarantee that a full cap will follow in due course – Scott could ask him team-mate Marcus Tavernier for confirmation of that given that the 27-year-old received a similar ‘call-up’ eight years ago - but Scott seems to be right at the front of the queue for caps.
Having failed to push a transfer to Chelsea through over the summer, Scott has started the season well, scoring against Everton, and as a hard-pressing box-to-box midfielder he should suit Tuchel’s system. There’s a long queue to squeeze into squads alongside (or rather behind) Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson, but Scott should get his chance to impress sooner rather than later, and a call-up for the coming international break seems quite likely.
Rio Ngumoha – Liverpool
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Another player who trained with the England squad ahead of the World Cup, the teenage winger has played in all but one of Liverpool’s six games so far this season and while he hasn’t scored, his electric dribbling and raw pace have helped to push the idea that he could be worthy of inclusion in the full squad.
Ngumoha probably isn’t ready to challenge for regular caps just yet, but this is the perfect chance for Tuchel to get a better look at a player who will still only be 19 years old by the time the next European Championship kicks off. Another gifted young forward who’s generating hype, Arsenal’s Max Dowman, is probably further away from a call-up despite the overexcitement some fans seem to be experiencing.
Jack Hinshelwood – Brighton & Hove Albion
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Hinshelwood scored twice on the opening day of the Premier League season but promptly suffered an ankle injury which has sidelined him since – but given that Brighton manager Fabian Hürzeler suggested that he was close to a comeback before last weekend’s games, it’s perfectly possible that he’d be fit enough to get a call-up.
Hinshelwood’s international career could suffer from the same issue as every other gifted young midfielder coming through the ranks right now, which is that there’s an incredible amount of high-level competition for a few squad spots, but he has the advantage of exceptional versatility.
Able to play as a defensive midfielder, a number 10, a winger or even as a full-back, that adaptability could make him a player that Tuchel and future managers want to have in their tournament squads. Depending on his health, he could get his first chance to impress in the coming weeks.
Lewis Miley – Newcastle United
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Yet another talented midfielder who faces a seriously difficult battle to earn regular caps over the coming years, Miley has nonetheless cut a hugely impressive figure over the past year or so, and was among Newcastle’s best players for the first half of the 2025/26 season before injuries hampered him in the run-in.
Miley has the all-round quality to merit a closer look at some point, but could be behind the likes of Scott, Hinshelwood and Adam Wharton at this moment in time. A cap will surely come at some stage if he continues his progress, however, and if there are some injury-related withdrawals, then maybe Miley will be in Tuchel’s thoughts very soon indeed.
Joshua King – Fulham
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Fulham’s youth academy hasn’t been particularly productive in recent years but they seem to have found a gem in King, who began to establish himself in the first team at Craven Cottage last season before kicking on noticeably after the summer.
The attacking midfielder already has a couple of goals to his name this season and his dynamism and directness have attracted a lot of a positive attention. The number 10 position is another role with a long waiting list, and if Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers are all available then King may not get a look-in, but there’s enough upside (and little enough pressure in the Nations League) that a call-up isn’t out of the question.