England will begin their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign against Albania on Friday night, with Thomas Tuchel set to make his long-awaited Three Lions managerial debut
Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah in England training with Adam Wharton (L) and Harry Kane (R)
Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah in England training with Adam Wharton (L) and Harry Kane (R)
Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah and two others have been left out of England's matchday squad for their first World Cup qualifier under new boss Thomas Tuchel. The Three Lions face Albania at home this Friday.
A full house at Wembley will catch the first glimpse of Tuchel leading the national side, after penning an 18-month deal worth a hefty £7.5 million. Tuchel was announced as boss last October but only stepped into his official capacity in January.
Lee Carsley took charge on an interim basis for the previous Nations League fixtures last autumn, paving the way for Tuchel's tenure to begin with a test against an Albanian team that held its own against European heavyweights Spain, Italy, and Croatia during Euro 2024.
Out of the 26-man roster picked by Tuchel for the back-to-back home games against Albania and Latvia, UEFA rules dictate that only 23 can be named in the matchday squad (11 to start and 12 on the bench). Falling short this time are uncapped Liverpool star Quansah, Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White and Southampton's Aaron Ramsdale.
READ MORE: Liverpool suffer major new injury concern as defender axed from squadREAD MORE: Alisson Becker suffers 'suspected concussion' as Liverpool goalkeeper forced off in Brazil win
Leading as captain will be Harry Kane, with Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice expected to join him in the starting XI, reports the Mirror.
Gibbs-White found himself in the squad as Chelsea's Cole Palmer had to drop out through injury. Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, the-25-year-old Forest midfielder shared his thoughts: "Obviously I was upset," adding, "Yeah, a little bit disappointed. But when he told me, I respected his decision. The standard of players is top-level.
"I said to him back like 'I feel like I've done enough to get the call-up, considering the form level that we were in, but obviously you're the manager, you make the decisions, and I respect that totally'. So, obviously, it was disappointing but then Sunday I got the call, so I was straight here."
He continued: "It was about 4 or 5 o'clock. He sent me a message to say, 'Are you free to talk?' And I think I replied within like 30 seconds. He phoned me up and said, 'Are you still upset with me, or do you want to come and join us and fancy training tomorrow?'
"Obviously, there's no question there. I said I'd obviously love to come and join and train with the boys, so, yeah, found out Sunday late afternoon and I was just smiling from ear to ear."
England's 23-man squad vs Albania
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Burnley).
Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle), Levi Colwill (Chelsea), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Reece James (Chelsea), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), Tino Livramento (Newcastle), Kyle Walker (AC Milan, loan from Manchester City).
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Jordan Henderson (Ajax), Curtis Jones (Liverpool), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa).
Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Marcus Rashford (Aston Villa, loan from Manchester United), Dominic Solanke (Tottenham).