Thomas Tuchel says Jude Bellingham’s ‘lack of rhythm’ is the reason why the Real Madrid playmaker has been overlooked for England’s squad to face Wales and Latvia.
England head coach Tuchel raised some eyebrows when he named his squad for the international break on Friday – with the omission of Bellingham hogging the headlines.
The Three Lions take on Wales in a Wembley friendly on October 9 before tackling an away clash with Latvia in World Cup qualifying on October 14.
But England will face both games without the silky services of Madrid star Bellingham, who missed the previous England camp due to a shoulder injury.
The 22-year-old was available to Tuchel after making his first start of the season for Madrid at the end of September, although that was in a 5-2 defeat to Atlético Madrid.
In-form pair Phil Foden and Jack Grealish have also been overlooked – and Tuchel faced the press on Friday to explain his squad selections.
Which players have been named in the England squad to face Wales and Latvia?
Goalkeepers: Henderson, Pickford, Trafford.
Defenders: Burn, Guéhi, James, Konsa, Lewis-Skelly, Quansah, Spence, Stones.
Midfielders: Anderson, Gibbs-White, Henderson, Loftus-Cheek, Rice, Rogers.
Forwards: Bowen, Eze, Gordon, Kane, Rashford, Saka, Watkins.
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Bellingham ‘wanted to be called up’
Regarding Bellingham’s exclusion, Tuchel told Sky Sports: “He wanted to be called up. We had a phone call but he just lacks rhythm.
“We stayed with our decision. Jude is a very special player. For special players, there can always be special rules.
“For this camp, we decided to invite the same team. That applies to Jude; he deserves to always be in camp.
“The situation is he has not gathered full rhythm. He hasn’t finished one full match and has only started one match.
“When he gets back to full strength, there is an extra layer to the decision.”
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‘This is a team sport’
Tuchel reiterated his desire to not become reliant on the form and inclusion of certain players as he looks towards the 2026 World Cup.
The former Chelsea and Bayern Munich manager added: “Do I believe we’re a stronger team with Jude? Yes. Is he one of the best players in the world in midfield? Yes.
“But what are we doing if a player like Jude is injured before the World Cup? Do we not travel?
“This is a team sport. We have to find solutions if players are injured, like now Cole Palmer.
“We found solutions in the last camp. This is more about the last camp and what we started to build than the dependency on individual players.
“It can never be the solution to depend on one player in football.”
Bukayo Saka and John Stones are back in the squad after returning to fitness, while Ruben Loftus-Cheek comes in for Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton.
They are the only changes to the England squad that secured a 2-0 win over Andorra and an impressive 5-0 rout of Serbia which cemented top spot in Group K of World Cup qualifying.
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