Thomas Tuchel has stirred fresh debate over his England selections after leaving out Trent Alexander-Arnold from a 35-man squad he insists is the final audition ahead of the World Cup.
“It’s our last camp [before the 2026 FIFA World Cup]. The last opportunity to impress and the last opportunity for players to compete for their ticket,” Thomas Tuchel said while announcing the squad earlier today, March 20.
The omission of Alexander-Arnold, alongside Ollie Watkins and Alex Scott, has raised eyebrows, particularly with Tuchel opting for alternative profiles in defence and attack.
“I know what Trent can give us and I decided still to stick to the players with us,” he said, describing the decision as “tough” while pointing to options such as Tino Livramento, Djed Spence and Jarell Quansah.
Up front, Watkins misses out as Dominic Calvert-Lewin returns after more than five years away and Dominic Solanke is handed another chance.
There are also surprise inclusions. James Garner and Jason Steele earn first senior call-ups, with the latter yet to make a Premier League appearance this season. England said Steele is being considered as a training goalkeeper for the World Cup.
Tuchel also recalled Harry Maguire, Kobbie Mainoo and Fikayo Tomori, while Jude Bellingham makes the squad despite injury concerns.
England face Uruguay and Japan at Wembley Stadium later this month, with Thomas Tuchel confirming the camp will be split to manage player workload.
“These guys have played 3,500 minutes, some 4,000 minutes. More important than the pure number of minutes is that some of these guys have played more minutes than the whole of last season,” he said.
“All of these players have contributed in September, October and November. They have credit with me. To give them a break mentally and physically, we will benefit from it.”
Below is the full Thomas Tuchel’s England 35-man squad for the March international break
Goalkeepers:
Dean Henderson, Jordan Pickford, James Trafford, Aaron Ramsdale, Jason Steele
Defenders:
Dan Burn, Marc Guehi, Lewis Hall, Ezri Konsa, Tino Livramento, Harry Maguire, Nico O’Reilly, Jarell Quansah, Djed Spence, John Stones, Fikayo Tomori
Midfielders:
Elliot Anderson, Jude Bellingham, James Garner, Jordan Henderson, Kobbie Mainoo, Declan Rice, Morgan Rogers, Adam Wharton
Forwards:
Jarrod Bowen, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Eberechi Eze, Phil Foden, Anthony Gordon, Harry Kane, Noni Madueke, Cole Palmer, Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka, Dominic Solanke
