England boss Thomas Tuchel has offered some insight into how the Three Lions Manchester City players have reacted to the news of the 115 case this week
Manchester City duo Elliot Anderson and Marc Guehi in action for England
Manchester City duo Elliot Anderson and Marc Guehi are currently on international duty with England
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England boss Thomas Tuchel says he will keep picking Manchester City players even if they are relegated to the Championship while the Three Lions chief also offered an insight on how the England contingent of Blues have reacted to the news.
Tuchel admits the City case has been a hot topic of conversation in the England camp this week. He says players are “young and ambitious” and some are worried about their futures following City's being found guilty of breaching spending rules - which could see them kicked out of the Premier League or face a massive points deduction - which would ultimately see them relegated.
Both Marc Guehi and Elliot Anderson could be in the England starting line-up to face Croatia on Saturday in the UEFA Nations League, and there have been questions asked about how much City stars are able to focus on international duty at present.
Asked whether he would pick City players if they were relegated, Tuchel said: “There’s always a possibility. I think I will always try to pick the best team for the camp, for the occasion, for the tournament, and I will never rule out that they don’t play in the top flight in their country. So you need to look at this case-by-case.”
Tuchel says he totally understands the players have been talking about the City situation but the German insists it has not been a distraction in training.
“I mean, we had some time off and some time between the matches, and it's a big subject," Tuchel added. "If I say now it's not, then I can just speak for myself, which would be totally narrow-minded. I think it is a distraction. It is. Let's say it is a subject.
“We speak about it at dinner and at a table of eight or 12 people. Of course, we speak about it at breakfast. And I know that the Man City players get a lot, a lot of messages and phone calls and feedback about it.
“Are they worried or like are they concerned? I think that would be a very human reaction if you don't know what's going on for the club that you signed.
“They're still young. They're ambitious. They're told they are totally innocent and don't know what's going on. So yeah, I think it is a subject.”
Guehi only joined City in January, Anderson arrived for £116m in the summer and Nico O’Reilly has returned back to his club for treatment on an injury. But none of them have relegation clauses in their City contracts.