Tuchel plans talks with offside players over England’s recall

England manager Thomas Tuchel says he will contact players left out of the squad in recent matches to help them find a way back into contention before next year’s World Cup.

Several players, including Real Madrid’s Trent Alexander-Arnold and Everton’s Jack Grealish, were left out for this month’s qualifiers against Serbia and Albania, while Jude Bellingham was left out for October’s matches against Wales and Latvia.

England beat Serbia 2-0 at home and claimed a 2-0 victory in Albania on Sunday to finish top of Group K in World Cup qualifiers with eight wins in as many games, while also not conceding a single goal.

«First of all, my job now is to connect with everyone, with players like Trent,» Tuchel told reporters after the win over Albania.

READ | Tuchel says Bellingham must accept his decisions after the reaction to his substitution

«Players who are on our longlist, 55, 60 players, to contact them, contact them, explain why they weren’t there. Explain to them what they need to do, where they can improve. Can they do anything at all or is it just a choice. So this is my job for the coming weeks and months.»

Tuchel added that he is open to visiting club training grounds to meet players in group sessions, saying he prefers to have face-to-face conversations to gauge their reactions.

«We can do group visits. We can do Jude and Trent. And visit the clubs. And some of them we’ll call,» the 52-year-old said.

England will have another camp with the players during the international break in March before the German manager announces his squad for the World Cup, which will be held in Canada, Mexico and the United States from June 11 to July 19.

Published on November 18, 2025