England manager Thomas Tuchel has outlined his reasons for leaving Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish out of his squad for the upcoming games with Wales and Latvia.
Bellingham missed the September camp but made his return for Real Madrid late last month, going on to make four appearances before Tuchel’s announcement, including a start in the 5–2 defeat to Atlético Madrid.
Questions were raised over whether Bellingham was actually ready to return, which is something the German referenced when explaining his omission.
“Team work, team spirit, was at the highest level so far, and that’s why we decided to invite the same group into this camp,” Tuchel said. “Jude is a very special player, and for special players there can always be special rules. I get this. For this camp, we decided that we stick with our straightforward decision to invite the same team, and that also applies to Jude.
Tuchel: Bellingham Wanted England Call-Up But He Lacks Rhythm
“He always deserves to be in camp. There’s an extra layer on top of it, the situation that he hasn’t gathered rhythm yet at Real Madrid. He is back in the team, he hasn’t finished one full match, he has only started one match, so he is in the period where he gets his rhythm and back to full strength.
“He wanted to be called up. We had a phone call, there were no [new fitness] issues. He just lacks rhythm.”
Bellingham has not played for England since June, when Tuchel described his on-field behaviour as “repulsive.” He later apologised for the comment, insisting he had used the wrong word in his second language.
Laughing as his comments were brought back up in relation to the admission that the mood in the England camp was highest last time out when Bellingham was not present, the England boss bluntly said: “One has nothing to do with the other.”
Tuchel: No Problems With Foden and Grealish
There was also no space in Tuchel’s squad for Manchester City’s Phil Foden or Everton loanee Jack Grealish. Neither player made it into the September squad but have both caught the eye at club level.
“There is also no problem between me and Phil Foden, between me and Jack Grealish, very special players,” Tuchel stressed. “Phil is back to influencing games, deciding games for Manchester City. Jack is very close to being the best version of himself. There is no problem at all. There is no personal problems.”
Tuchel spoke of his appreciation for the players who were called up for the September internationals, suggesting the latest overlooking of Foden and Grealish is simply down to the quality England currently have at their disposal and the strong competition for places.
Among those picked in attacking midfield or wide forward roles are Morgan Gibbs-White, Eberechi Eze, Anthony Gordon, Marcus Rashford and Jarrod Bowen.
England face Wales on October 9 in a friendly at Wembley, before their World Cup qualification campaign continues with a trip to Latvia five days later.
England Squad for October 2025 Internationals
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Manchester City)
Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle United), Marc Guéhi (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)
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish Are Not in England Squad.
