England squad announcement LIVE: Thomas Tuchel names gamers for June internationals
With the domestic season coming to a close this weekend focus shifts to the next round of international football with England manager Thomas Tuchel naming his squad for June’s international fixtures later today.
Tuchel has overseen two wins from two since taking charge of the Three Lions at the start of the year and England sit top of Group K in Europe’s World Cup qualifiers. They defeated Albania 2-0 and Latvia 3-0 during Tuchel’s first camp with Myles Lewis-Skelly, Eberechi Eze and Harry Kane in particular impressing the German coach.
The next camp is preparing to face Andorra, who have lost both of their qualifiers so far, before an international friendly against Senegal which should prove to be a sterner test for Tuchel’s charges.
Phil Foden looks set to miss out on a place in the squad while he recovers from an ankle injury and it remains to be seen if Tuchel will persist with Marcus Rashford who has been sidelined with a hamstring problem.
We’ll have all the updates from Tuchel’s squad announcement and press conference with our live blog below:
Tuchel on playing at Villa Park
When England face Andorra at Villa Park in September it will be the second meeting between the teams (following June’s clash) and the second outing away from Wembley for Tuchel’s Three Lions.
Nottingham Forest’s City Ground is staging June’s meeting with Senegal on Tuesday 10 June.
Tuchel said: “We’re excited to play at Villa Park; another stadium full of history.
“I know from my own visits to the stadium this season that it is capable of creating an outstanding atmosphere and is located close to St. George’s Park which is a positive for our preparation.
“We hope to be able to generate another special atmosphere and create a memorable occasion for all fans.”
England to face Andorra at Villa Park
Villa Park will host England’s 2026 World Cup qualifier against Andorra on Saturday 6 September (5pm BST kick-off).
The fixture will be the Three Lions’ fourth game on the road to Canada, Mexico and the United States.
It will be the first time in over 20 years that the home of Aston Villa has hosted a senior men’s international with the last being a goalless draw with the Netherlands in February 2005.
In total, Villa Park has welcomed the Three Lions on nine previous occasions with the first of those against Scotland in April 1899.
Thomas Tuchel explains what England were missing at Euro 2024: ‘They were afraid’
The Three Lions boss is adamant his side can find the missing piece on the road to the 2026 World Cup, hoping to discover “excitement”.
And Tuchel will be able to showcase his vision of England for the first time on Friday when England face Albania, though he remained emphatic when assessing where Gareth Southgate’s side fell short a year ago.
Henderson to be included again?
Will Jordan Henderson be called up to the England squad again?
That is another question waiting to be answered by today’s squad announcement.
It was a surprise to see the former Liverpool captain included back in March but Thomas Tuchel explained his reasoning.
“Why Jordan? Easy one,” said Tuchel. “He’s a serial winner, captain of Ajax, always available, played a lot of matches and played in the European Cup.
“What he brings to every team is leadership, character, personality, energy. He makes sure everyone lives by the standards. With this characteristic, he embodies everything we are trying to build.
“We try to build a team for our fans, we try to build a team they’re proud of, they can identify with and is hopefully an exciting watch. Jordan brings everything and embodies everything of what we want this team to be.”
Based on that it wouldn’t be a shock if Henderson is back again for June’s matches.
Which fringe players will be included?
England squads tend to be made up of players from the ‘big six’ clubs in the Premier League but with this season throwing up surprises and a resurgence from the likes of Nottingham Forest, Newcastle and Crystal Palace there is more of a case to widen the net when selecting the next bunch of England players.
Midfielders Adam Wharton, who helped Crystal Palace to the FA Cup, and Elliot Anderson, pivotal to Nottingham Forest’s Champions League qualification bid, could be among those on Tuchel’s radar.
So too, Aston Villa’s Jacob Ramsey and Newcastle’s Jacob Murphy while Arsenal’s Ben White might also be in line for a recall following his exile since the 2022 World Cup.
Thomas Tuchel expected to name strong squad for Andorra and Senegal games
Tuchel, preparing for his second camp since starting work as Sir Gareth Southgate’s successor in January, will announce his group on Friday for the World Cup qualifier against Andorra on June 7 and the City Ground friendly against the African side three days later.
Despite the exertions of a long season for his stars Tuchel should call most of them up for the two games.
Thomas Tuchel’s previous England squad
Thomas Tuchel has only selected one England squad so far but there were plenty of talking points especially the inclusion of Jordan Henderson who had missed Euro 2024.
Here’s a reminder of who was called up back in March:
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Southampton), James Trafford (Burnley)
Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle United), Levi Colwill (Chelsea), Marc Guéhi (Crystal Palace), Reece James (Chelsea), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), Jarell Quansah (Liverpool), Kyle Walker (AC Milan, loan from Manchester City)
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Jordan Henderson (Ajax), Curtis Jones (Liverpool), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)
Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Marcus Rashford (Aston Villa, loan from Manchester United), Dominic Solanke (Tottenham Hotspur)
Man City to make decision on Jack Grealish future at end of season
The England international, signed for £100million four years ago, has fallen down the pecking order at the Etihad Stadium since his starring role in the 2023 treble-winning campaign.
The 29-year-old has made just seven Premier League starts this term and was not summoned from the bench during the FA Cup final defeat to Crystal Palace.
A place for Grealish?
Jack Grealish has endured a poor season with Manchester City and has seemingly fallen down the pecking order at the Etihad stadium with Jeremy Doku now the preferred option for Pep Guardiola.
The 29-year-old has made just seven Premier League starts this term and was not summoned from the bench during the FA Cup final defeat to Crystal Palace.
Grealish has two years left on his contract at City but may want to move away from the club to better his chances of being included in England’s squad for the World Cup next year.
Thomas Tuchel’s selections today will give an idea on how far away from international duty Grealish is given his lack of game time.
Harry Kane on Thomas Tuchel’s impact
Speaking during the previous camp, England captain Harry Kane addressed how Thomas Tuchel runs things compared to Gareth Southgate.
Kane revealed: “He’s very much involved in the squad, even on the training pitch but also outside of the pitch as well, whether it’s watching other games in the lounge area or being around the boys a bit more.
“He wants to have the involvement, he wants to see the players all the time, how they are, how they are reacting.”
