Thomas Tuchel's first England squad of 2026 is announced tomorrow
Isaac Johnson Leeds United reporter
05:00, 19 Mar 2026
This month marks five years since Dominic Calvert-Lewin last played for England
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It has been nearly five years since Dominic Calvert-Lewin last played for England(Image: Alex Pantling - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
By 10am tomorrow, Dominic Calvert-Lewin will know whether he has made the England squad for March’s internationals.
It’s a call that has been three months in the waiting, having caught fire amid his scoring streak in December. Seven goals in six games earned him the Premier League player of the month award.
He also walked away with the goal of the month accolade for the superb team equaliser at Sunderland, in which all 11 Leeds United players touched the ball. It was the first time a Leeds player had won the accolade since Tony Yeboah in 1995.
That was 18 months before Calvert-Lewin was born. Like all football enthusiasts, he harboured dreams of playing for his county ever since childhood. The 29-year-old has already played at a major tournament for England, being part of the Euro 2020 squad that reached the final in 2021.
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Yet, he has not earned a call-up since. The last time he hit double figures in a season was the campaign before Euro 2020 with Gareth Southgate, who handed him his debut, ultimtely giving him the nod.
Thomas Tuchel, a close ally of Leeds boss Daniel Farke, is now hoping to succeed where Southgate stalled. As of last week, Calvert-Lewin had not spoken to the new Three Lions head coach.
"I haven't spoken to the manager but it's also not something that I need or feel is necessary,” he told ESPN. “If he needs to speak to me, he will and it would mean I'm doing well on the football pitch.
“My main objective is to do my best for Leeds, keeping scoring goals and winning games, make sure we are a Premier League team next season and if that is enough to warrant me a place in the World Cup squad, it is a bonus.”
Of course, one leads to the other. The problem is that of late, he has not been scoring goals and Leeds have not been winning games.
Calvert-Lewin has found the net just once in eight outings and United have not won a Premier League match since the first week of February. His missed penalty against Crystal Palace on Sunday was perhaps a double-whammy in both aspects.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin reacts after the missed penalty
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Dominic Calvert-Lewin reacts after the missed penalty(Image: Shaun Brooks - CameraSport via Getty Images)
Form is important when being considered for a national call-up, but it is not the only factor at play. How peers in your position are faring and the style of play a manager wishes to employ are just as key. So is major tournament experience.
So recent weeks do not rule Calvert-Lewin out of the picture - he remains the top-scoring Englishman in the Premier League after all. Ollie Watkins has one goal in nine Premier League games and Danny Welbeck, 35, has two in 11 - the same return as Calvert-Lewin.
All three have big tournament experience, albeit Calvert-Lewin is the only one without a goal at one. His total number of tournament minutes is just 18, compared to Watkins’ 58 and Welbeck’s 446.
Tammy Abraham might be an outside shout, and at 28 would be the youngest option, but he has no senior tournament experience. Since returning to the Premier League, he has one goal in eight top-flight games for Aston Villa.
Marcus Rashford - like Jarrod Bowen - provides fiercer competition given he can play both out on the flank and in the centre - yet he has scored just three La Liga goals for Barcelona since the start of November, and just two in other competitions.
Marcus Rashford and Dominic Calvert-Lewin playing for England vs in June 2021
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Marcus Rashford and Dominic Calvert-Lewin playing for England vs in June 2021(Image: Stu Forster - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
Rashford does, though, have 68 caps and 18 major tournament appearances while Bowen - who has five goals since the start of November - played 35 minutes at the recent Euro 2024 finals.
As for central strikers, the reality is that whoever is picked is unlikely to build much on what they have. Harry Kane, England’s all-top scorer and captain with 45 Bayern Munich goals this season, will start every game barring injury and will likely play deep into, if not complete, each match.
So perhaps the question really boils down to what Tuchel prefers as a wildcard. Should he want a poacher then Calvert-Lewin could be the perfect fit, with all 10 of his goals coming from inside the box. But that remains a question unanswered for another 24 hours.
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Of course, if Tuchel takes two back-ups then the chances of a World Cup dream being realised increases for all of these strikers. But this is no certainty.
Tomorrow’s squad reveal will not be the final call but might hint at Tuchel’s ultimate thoughts on attackers and Calvert-Lewin himself.