England manager Thomas Tuchel has explained the omissions of Jude Bellingham, Jack Grealish, and Phil Foden from his squad for the upcoming matches against Wales and Latvia. The German coach cited Bellingham's lack of match fitness following surgery and a desire to maintain squad continuity as the key reasons for his selections. Tuchel was direct in dismissing any speculation of friction, stating there are "no personal problems" with any of the excluded players.
The decision to leave out Bellingham was based on his recent return from a shoulder injury. While acknowledging the Real Madrid midfielder's quality, Tuchel pointed to his limited game time. "He has not gathered fully rhythm yet at Real Madrid. He is back in the team, he hasn’t finished one full match until now," Tuchel explained. He confirmed that Bellingham was eager for a call-up, adding, "He wanted to be called up, we had a phone call, there was no issue from that side. He just lacks rhythm."
Regarding the in-form duo of Jack Grealish and Phil Foden, Tuchel stressed that their absence was a reflection of the success of the previous squad rather than a slight against them. He again clarified the nature of their relationship, saying, "There is no problem also between me and Phil Foden, between me and Jack Grealish... Very special players. There is no problem at all." The decision was influenced by England's 5-0 win away to Serbia in their last outing.
Tuchel claims his selection philosophy for this camp is rooted in rewarding that performance and building stability within the group. "We decided to invite the same group of players to make more stable what we built on. Keep on pushing," the manager said. He noted that the impressive result against Serbia was just over three weeks ago, making it a "straightforward decision" to keep faith with the players who delivered it. The only significant change sees Arsenal's Bukayo Saka return from injury.
While acknowledging that England is a better team with a fully fit Bellingham, Tuchel is confident in the players at his disposal for the friendly against Wales and the World Cup qualifier in Latvia. The manager emphasized that the door remains open for all players but that this particular squad was chosen to build on the momentum from the last international break.
