THOMAS TUCHEL has named his first England squad – with returns for Marcus Rashford and Jordan Henderson.
The German’s reign and qualifying for the 2026 World Cup kicks off on March 21 against Albania before a clash against Latvia three days later.
Tuchel has revealed his squad for the Wembley Stadium double-header and there are several surprise inclusions.
Rashford has earned an England recall after a year out following his loan move from Manchester United to Aston Villa.
He has not scored for his new side but has started four games since his January switch.
Tuchel has also made a bold move in bringing 34-year-old Jordan Henderson back into the fold.
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The former Liverpool captain, now with Dutch side Ajax, has not played for England since November 2023.
Uncapped Arsenal 18-year-old Myles Lewis-Skelly has earned his first call-up.
The wonderkid, who can play at left-back and in midfield, makes the jump from the Under-19s to the Three Lions senior squad just 13 games into his Premier League career.
Tuchel could also hand debuts to shock inclusions Dan Burn and Jarell Quansah against Albania or Latvia.
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Newcastle’s 32-year-old defender was watched in person by the new boss as the Toon beat West Ham 1-0 on Monday night.
As for the Liverpool centre-back, he was chosen in the Euro 2024 provisional squad but got axed when it was cut down ahead of the tournament without making an appearance.
Reece James, who won the Champions League under Tuchel at Chelsea, is back on the international stage after two years away.
Manchester City’s Kyle Walker, on loan at AC Milan, keeps his place along with Villa’s Morgan Rogers, Liverpool’s Curtis Jones and West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen.
SunSport understands that Ollie Watkins is resting his knee and Tottenham’s Dominic Solanke has been chosen as back-up to Harry Kane.
Tuchel has been unable to call upon Bukayo Saka, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Harry Maguire, John Stones, Kobbie Mainoo, Luke Shaw and Lewis Hall due to fitness doubts and injuries.
But the new boss has snubbed Jack Grealish, who has played just 34 minutes in City’s last 11 Prem games.
Tuchel officially took over as manager on January 1 and reportedly contacted 55 players before revealing his squad today.
The ex-Chelsea, PSG and Bayern Munich boss has penned an 18-month contract with the FA and has been tasked with bringing home the World Cup in 2026.
Tuchel steps in after Lee Carsley, who took over from Gareth Southgate, saw his interim role come to an end.
Carsley guided England to five victories in six games as the Three Lions earned promotion back to the top section of the Nations League by winning League B Group 2.
It was a much-needed return to form after mixed performances at Euro 2024 that ended in final heartbreak against Spain.
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The match was Southgate’s last in the job, quitting after eight years at the helm.
While Southgate was in charge, England finished runner-up at two Euros, as well as making a semi-final and quarter-final in his two World Cup campaigns.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
