Thomas Tuchel has dropped a big hint about West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen after a scathing assessment of Aston Villa and Man City stars.
Ahead of England’s first game under Thomas Tuchel, the German showed he won’t be one to mince his words.
He was unapologetically critical of what he saw from Gareth Southgate’s side last summer.
Southgate exiled Marcus Rashford, now at Aston Villa, and failed to get the best out of Manchester City star Phil Foden.
He was also heavily criticised by West Ham fans for failing to give Jarrod Bowen the respect and game time his club form warranted.
Bowen barely featured last summer but impressed when he did get a chance. Yet Southgate persisted with the same “big name” players.
All eyes were on Tuchel’s first England squad selection.
Rashford was back in despite only starting to play this season since a January move to Aston Villa.
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Man City’s Foden and West Ham captain Bowen were there too.
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Photo by Nigel French/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images
Rashford and Foden flop as Tuchel benches Bowen
In a debate about Tuchel’s forward options and who should start his first game against Albania, football legend Ally McCoist argued West Ham star Bowen deserved the nod ahead Rashford and Foden.
Tuchel didn’t agree as he named Bowen on the bench, starting Villa loan ranger Rashford on the left and Man City’s out of sorts Foden on the right.
Now Tuchel has dropped a big hint about West Ham’s Bowen in a brutal verdict on the Aston Villa and Man City stars.
Bowen came on for Foden and Anthony Gordon for Rashford in the 74th minute with the Three Lions 1-0 up.
West Ham’s talismanic skipper impressed again during his cameo, playing a key part in making England’s second goal.
Bowen did more in his 16 minutes on the pitch than his Villa and Man City counterparts Foden and Rashford combined.
It did not go unnoticed by Tuchel either.
After the game he delivered a pretty blunt assessment of the performances of Rashford and Foden, suggesting Bowen will now be handed a start against Latvia on Monday.
Photo by Eddie Keogh - The FA/The FA via Getty Images
Photo by Eddie Keogh – The FA/The FA via Getty Images
Tuchel drops big hint about West Ham’s Bowen in brutal verdict
“I think both of our wingers who started were not as impactful as they normally can be,” Tuchel said about Aston Villa man Rashford and Manchester City playmaker Foden.
“As they are normally in club football (for Villa and Man City).
“At the moment I’m not so sure why we struggled to bring the ball quicker to them, to bring the ball in more open positions to them, I need to review the match.
“I’m not sure why it took us so long to get going. We lacked a little bit runs off the ball. It was a bit too much passing, not enough dribbling (from the wingers), not enough carrying the ball and driving with the ball.
“(They were) not aggressive enough towards goal.”
Tuchel said Rashford and Foden ‘trained very well and were decisive in training’ and said he started them because they had been ‘very good for Aston Villa and Man City in recent weeks’.
“We will keep on encouraging them and creating a structure so they can show their potential,” Tuchel added.
"Both of our wingers were not as impactful as normally they can be."
Thomas Tuchel on Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford's performance against Albania tonight 📊 pic.twitter.com/10CammNhpr
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) March 21, 2025
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Villa and Man City stars could now be dropped
It is refreshing to hear a no-nonsense assessment on individual players from the England manager.
And it can only be good news for West Ham’s Bowen.
Bowen was involved in the early build-up to Kane’s goal which killed the game.
The Hammers attacker played the ball to Kyle Walker and made a run to attract the opposition defence.
The ball was then played to Bowen’s former West Ham teammate Declan Rice, who found Kane to do what he does best.
Bowen got in more crosses during his limited time on the pitch and his pressing was much more intensive, forcing Albania to play the ball.
Given Tuchel’s comments, it will be no surprise to see Bowen start against Latvia.
And there may be disappointment at Aston Villa and the Etihad with Manchester boys Rashford and Foden surely now set for the bench.