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'Anything can happen until May' - Tuchel on World Cup squad
England head coach Thomas Tuchel remained open to new inclusions before he has to announce his World Cup squad next May.
England head coach Thomas Tuchel remained 'open-minded' to new inclusions in his England squad before the start of the World Cup, as he announced his team selection for the matches against Serbia and Albania later this month.
Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden are recalled, Adam Wharton returns to the squad, and the uncapped Alex Scott is also included, while the likes of Myles-Lewis Skelly, Morgan Gibbs-White and Ruben Loftus-Cheek drop out.
Trent-Alexander Arnold and Jack Grealish continue to be long-term absentees, but Tuchel opened the door to new faces entering the squad before his squad for the World Cup is announced next May.
At his press conference, he said: "We have to stay open-minded because young players can come through - those who are struggling for minutes can play important roles for their clubs. I need to make sure the door is always open and they are on their toes and they have a chance to be with us.
"The final nomination is only in May and until then, anything can happen."
Tuchel expressed his delight in welcoming Bellingham and Foden back into the squad, while also explicitly outlining the central roles that they would be occupying in his system going forward.
Real Madrid midfielder Bellingham missed the last camp in October as he was only just returning to action following shoulder surgery, and he has since played a starring role for his club over the last month, scoring winners against Juventus and Barcelona in successive games.
Manchester City’s Foden has not been part of Tuchel’s squad for the last three camps, having last played for his country in March of this year, but a return to form at his boyhood club, which included a double against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League this week, has secured his inclusion.
Tuchel said: "We are delighted they are back. Their contribution to the club lately was immense.
"They play regularly and play a big role in success of Real Madrid and Manchester City. They've scored decisive goals regularly. We are delighted they are in form and back with us."
"Jude comes back as a number 10. That's his best position. One of his key strengths is to score from this position.
"He has the ability arrive and score goals that a number nine would score, which is very unusual. It might seem like easy goals, but to arrive in these positions is one of his outstanding qualities. We will try to find space for him in the number 10 position to arrive and score these goals.
"Where Phil played against Borussia Dortmund is where I see him the strongest. He is close to the opponent's box and a mix between a number nine and a 10.
“Main thing about him is that he gets a role in the central part of the pitch. I don't see him as a winger anymore.”
Tuchel has also included Wharton and the uncapped Scott, declaring that they occupy different profiles in his squad as central midfielders.
“It’s two different positions,” said Tuchel.
"Adam, we're trying for the third time. I hope he stays fit this time. Elliot Anderson did very well for us in central defensive midfield, but he plays through pain and discomfort at the moment.
"So we added Adam to the team because he deserves it and we need to learn about and prepare if Elliot is not able to play both 90 minutes.”
The German has also left out Lewis-Skelly from his squad, citing the teenager’s lack of gametime at Arsenal, while Loftus-Cheek and Gibbs-White are also not included.
He said: “Myles was a very good team-mate and played for us in the last camp in the World Cup qualifier in Riga, so was Ruben Loftus-Cheek, so was Morgan Gibbs-White.
"But I said last time there is a component to it that it's about competition and performance and the door is always open for guys who perform on a regular and high level.
"Myles, Ruben and Morgan got out-performed by Nico O'Reilly, Alex Scott, and Jude in their positions.
"Myles simply needs more starts, more minutes. Now came a time when Nico O'Reilly had so many starts in that position, so he is slightly ahead for this camp."
Tuchel’s contract runs out at the end of the World Cup next summer, but he remains open to the prospect of extending his deal beyond that stage and spoke of his enjoyment at managing his first side in international football.
When asked whether he has thought about continuing, he said: “Yeah, there is. It's a lot of fun since we are on track in the last two camps. But it was from the start. But there's nothing to announce at the moment.
"I am very happy with the way things are going and I think the federation is quite happy with the way things are. But that's just today.
"I am in a good place mentally because I love the team, the support from the federation and the direction where it is heading. That's the main focus.
"Having thought so much about my contract, but we have time for that."












