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Tuchel's first England squad hints at caution
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Rashford recall sure to make the headlines
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Anger and confusion at returning veterans
Tuchel announces first squad
With two World Cup qualifiers honing into view Thomas Tuchel has announced his first ever England squad, and it's fair to say initial reactions have been mixed.
Tuchel revealed recently that he had a large pool of 55 players under consideration and from this multitude Morgan Gibbs-White, Ethan Nwaneri, Adam Wharton and Ollie Watkins have surprisingly been overlooked.
The omission of Gibbs-White in particular has prompted a degree of anger online, the midfielder pivotal to Nottingham Forest's high-flying campaign.
Elsewhere, four players have been called up for the first time - Myles Lewis-Skelly, Dan Burn, James Trafford and Jarell Quansah.
Burn has quietly, without fuss, been one of the Premier League's best defenders in recent seasons while Trafford is keeping clean sheets for fun in the Championship.
All four deserve their recognition.
If these inclusions have largely been greeted with nods of approval two others have resulted in jaws collectively dropping to the floor.
Last capped in November 2023, Jordan Henderson makes a highly surprising return, with many assuming his international race was run. Kyle Walker is another name that has triggered many, the full-back enduring a huge drop-off in form this term.
Their selections led one wag online to wonder if Tuchel is aware of what year it is.
Yet it i a third returning player who has grabbed the headlines. After impressing on loan at Aston Villa, Marcus Rashford has the chance to add to his 60 caps when England host Albania at Wembley on Friday, March 21st.
Early shouts for Tuchel's first starting XI
England's first two fixtures under the former Chelsea and PSG coach are as follows -
Vs Albania on Friday, March 21st (Wembley)
Vs Latvia on Monday, March 24th (Wembley)
Given the high number of unexpected inclusions in his opening squad all bets are off regarding what his first team-sheet will look like a week today, but clues can be sourced from his 26.
Clearly, Tuchel is reluctant to go all-in on a new-look, exciting young England set-up, preferring instead to have experienced heads among them for the time being. With this in mind it would not be overly startling if Henderson started against Albania, Walker too.
It may well be the Latvia game where we see England's future, rather than its recent past.
This is another way of saying that the Three Lions' World Cup hopes next year across the pond are in no way effected by today's squad announcement.
Admittedly, it doesn't bode well that Tuchel has begun his tenure prioritising caution over potential. But that may change in the months to come.
England are 13/27.50 to win the World Cup in 2026.
Squad
Goalkeepers - Jordan Pickford, Dean Henderson, Aaron Ramsdale, James Trafford
Defenders - Marc Guehi, Reece James, Levi Colwill, Ezri Konsa, Tino Livramento, Jarell Quansah, Dan Burn, Kyle Walker, Myles Lewis-Skelly
Midfielders - Jude Bellingham, Eberechi Eze, Jordan Henderson, Curtis Jones, Cole Palmer, Declan Rice, Morgan Rogers
Forwards - Anthony Gordon, Jarrod Bowen, Phil Foden, Marcus Rashford, Dominic Solanke, Harry Kane