Tuchel Drops Bombshell: England Boss Reveals Truth Behind Star Trio's Shocking Snub
Thomas Tuchel has stated that England cannot achieve success simply by assembling the "most gifted players," following backlash over his choice to exclude Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish from his October international roster.
England face Wales in a friendly match on Thursday evening before traveling to Latvia on Tuesday for a 2026 World Cup qualifying fixture.
Questions were raised when Tuchel announced his 24-man squad last week, with the German manager choosing to leave out Bellingham despite his fitness recovery at Real Madrid, along with Foden and Grealish—both of whom have shown strong form for their respective clubs recently.
Grealish has performed exceptionally well for Everton since his loan move from Manchester City, rejuvenating a career that had begun to plateau at the Etihad Stadium. Tuchel emphasized in his initial press briefing that he had "no issues" with the 30-year-old or Foden, also highlighting that Bellingham's omission was related to the "collective effort" and "squad harmony" of those who featured in September rather than any deeper concerns.
Addressing media representatives before the Wales encounter, Tuchel faced further questioning about his team selections, and he delivered a sharp comment suggesting England cannot hope to succeed if they select players based solely on individual talent—a remark many might interpret as criticism of Bellingham, Foden and Grealish, all previously celebrated for their exceptional abilities.
Tuchel: England Are Trying to Build a Team
I'm not surprised I'm questioned about my decisions.
"We can only achieve this [a World Cup victory] if we arrive with a powerful, cohesive team," Tuchel explained.
"I recently viewed a documentary about the New England Patriots and noticed a quote: 'We don't gather the most gifted players, we construct a team'. I couldn't agree more. That's our objective.
"We chose to maintain largely the same group that had an outstanding camp previously. We already have some injuries, we cannot field the identical XI against Serbia, as four players are unavailable. It's inevitable we have modifications.
"But we have faith in our development, we trust our instincts, we believe in what we observe with this team and squad and the competition continues.
"I'm not surprised my choices are questioned and people support or oppose them but that's part of this role. The response after our previous match was overwhelmingly positive and all recognition belongs to the team. The supporters in the venue and watching at home felt we performed as a unit, which was paramount.
Kane Ruled out of England's Clash With Wales
Tuchel also revealed that England captain Harry Kane will miss the Wales match due to an ankle problem sustained during Bayern Munich's 3–0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.
"It was too dangerous for him to risk another impact and face ongoing pain issues," Tuchel explained. "We allowed him time for everything to settle. We're confident he'll be available for the Latvia fixture."
Ollie Watkins seems to be the primary candidate to fill Kane's striker position, though Tuchel might also consider deploying Jarrod Bowen, Anthony Gordon or Marcus Rashford in the central role. He must also select a temporary captain for the Wales game—Jordan Henderson, John Stones and Declan Rice are the candidates being considered for the armband.