Three Aston Villa players have been included in Thomas Tuchel's first England squad but there is no place for Ollie Watkins
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Updated 12:03, 14 Mar 2025
Aston Villa fan Prince William
Message... Villa fan Prince William(Image: Getty Images)
Prince William pushed for the inclusion of Aston Villa stars in Thomas Tuchel’s first England squad, but the new Three Lions boss claims he didn’t need to because of his admiration of Unai Emery’s players.
Marcus Rashford, Morgan Rogers and Ezri Konsa were all named in Tuchel’s team for this month’s World Cup qualifiers, but Ollie Watkins - who suffered an injury in the 3-0 win over Club Brugge - will not be involved.
Tuchel said Rashford’s defensive contribution and selfless play since joining Villa were two key reasons behind his inclusion, while Konsa has been a regular in the England set-up for a year.
Rogers, meanwhile, will get the chance to impress Tuchel as the German prepares his team for qualifiers against Albania and Latvia.
In his press conference, Tuchel was asked about the royal praise he received from the Prince of Wales, claiming the former Chelsea boss was one of the top five managers in the world.
“It makes me very proud. The pressure comes with the job, it is a privilege to be in this role," Tuchel said in his press conference.
“I met his Royal Highness once at a match. We had another meeting in Windsor Castle and it was nothing but impressive, how he speaks and how emotional he supports Aston Villa and of course, the national team.
“It was just so impressive and it was so nice to speak with him about football. He has a strong opinion and was pushing hard for the Aston Villa players!
"It was not needed because we admire them a lot and what is happening there in the club.
“It means a lot and it is very special. It is an honour, privilege and comes with a big responsibility.”
Speaking about Rashford’s inclusion, Tuchel said: "With Marcus, he is a familiar face but in a different situation. I felt that he had a huge impact at Aston Villa, he made a huge impact from the bench mostly.
“The impact was impressive. The physical impact was impressive and most importantly, his workrate, his defensive ability and tracking back was impressive
“I had the strong feeling that we should nominate him, bring him in and to push him to stay on that level to not fall back on old routines. This camp is to push him to stay on this level."
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