England’s coach, Thomas Tuchel, unveiled his newest national squad selection on Friday. The list sees the return of midfielders Jude Bellingham and forward Phil Foden for the upcoming World Cup qualifying matches against Serbia and Albania.
The English side has already cemented its spot in next year’s major tournament, securing qualification with two Group K games remaining.
The team will wrap up its qualifying schedule with a match against Serbia at Wembley next Thursday. Following that, they will travel to Albania for a final fixture three days later.
Major Additions to the Squad
Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham had missed Tuchel’s October fixtures. The 22-year-old was completing his recovery from shoulder surgery.
Manchester City attacker Phil Foden rejoins the national side for the first time since Tuchel led his initial training camp back in March.
The 25-man roster features a mix of fresh talent and experienced returnees:
- New Face: Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott stands out as the most surprising new call-up.
- First-Timers: Scott joins Nico O’Reilly and Jarell Quansah as players yet to make a debut for the national team.
- Returnees: Goalkeeper Nick Pope and midfielder Adam Wharton also earned spots back on the roster.
Players Left Out and Selection Notes
Several individuals from the previous squad were excluded from this selection. Those dropped include Morgan Gibbs-White, James Trafford, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Myles Lewis-Skelly, and Ollie Watkins.
Tuchel decided against recalling midfielder Jack Grealish, currently on loan at Everton from Manchester City. Additionally, Real Madrid right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold was omitted from the squad for these final two qualifiers.
England booked its trip to the World Cup to be jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States last month. They clinched qualification by securing a decisive 5-0 win over Latvia in Riga.
