Saka back as Tuchel leaves out Bellingham, Foden, Grealish in latest England Squad

Thomas Tuchel has named his England squad with some big names missing, drawing more attention to the absentees than those included.

Bukayo Saka, who has only featured once under Tuchel due to fitness and hamstring issues, is back but Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish have all been left out. Bellingham missed the last camp as he recovered from shoulder surgery and has only made one start for Real Madrid since returning, while Foden, despite a strong start to the season with Manchester City, has not forced his way back after being dropped previously. Grealish, on loan at Everton and showing signs of revival, has not played for England since October 2024.

Tuchel has instead stuck with players who impressed in England’s 5-0 World Cup qualifier win in Serbia, rewarding Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson and Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers for their impact in Belgrade. Rogers, in particular, filled Jude Bellingham’s number 10 role seamlessly.

Noni Madueke misses out through injury after a fine display in Serbia, while the absence of Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton — who has been outstanding in their 19-game unbeaten run — is seen as one of the surprises, though Tuchel is well stocked in midfield.

The head coach is believed to admire both Grealish and Foden but for now is opting for continuity, keeping faith with the squad that produced England’s best performance under his leadership.

Full England Squad
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Manchester City)
Defenders: 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)
Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (AC Milan), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)
Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona, loan from Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)