Tuchel omits Bellingham and Foden from England
Thomas Tuchel has named his England squad for the October international break, and has left out two notable players in his midfield.
Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden have not been included , and Jack Grealish has missed out.
The Three Lions will host Wales in a friendly on 11 October (AEDT) before travelling to face Latvia on 15 October (AEDT) in a FIFA World Cup qualifier.
Bellingham’s absence does not come as a huge surprise as the Real Madrid midfielder has only made one start in four matches since returning from a shoulder injury in the middle of September.
"He's a very special player, and for special players, there can be special rules, I get this," Tuchel said of Bellingham.
"But for this camp, we decided that we stick with our straightforward decision to invite the same team. That applies also to Jude; he deserves to always be in camp.
"I think on top of it, there's the situation that he has not fully gathered rhythm yet at Real Madrid. He's back in the team, he hasn't finished one full match until now, he has only started one match."
Bellingham had expressed his desire to play in this month's internationals, with Tuchel insistent the pair is on the same page.
"He wanted to be called up. We had a phone call; there was no issue from that side," the German added.
Foden, on the other hand, has registered four direct goal involvements so far this season – two goals and two assists – but half of those came in a Carabao Cup win against League One Huddersfield.
"No, there is also no problem between me and Phil Foden, there is also no problem between me and Jack Grealish. Very special players," Tuchel continued.
"There is no problem at all, there is no personal problem. Keep on pushing.
"It is a decision for this camp. It was the best camp in terms of team spirit and teamwork. This was the best camp so far. We decided to invite the same group of players to make what we built more stable."
Everton’s Grealish also missed out while Bukayo Saka, who missed the September internationals through injury, has returned to the national team.
Saka will be joined by Arsenal team-mates Eberechi Eze, Declan Rice and Myles Lewis-Skelly, while Nottingham Forest duo Morgan Gibbs-White and Elliot Anderson also retains its places in Tuchel’s squad.
Four players outside of the Premier League have been called up, as Marcus Rashford, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Jarell Quansah are included alongside captain Harry Kane.
England squad: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Manchester City), Dan Burn (Newcastle United), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Reece James (Chelsea), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Tottenham Hotspur), John Stones (Manchester City), Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (AC Milan), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa).
