Three Lions Team Selection Revealed: Bellingham and Foden Omitted, Saka Makes Comeback

Thomas Tuchel has chosen to retain the identical Three Lions selection that triumphed against Andorra and produced a stellar display in Belgrade during the previous international break, leaving no room for Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden in his group for the upcoming exhibition match against Wales and the qualifying match in Latvia.

Despite Foden pushing for a return to the squad after regaining his top condition at his club, and Jude Bellingham having made a comeback for Real Madrid following shoulder surgery, the head coach has decided against selecting two of the country's most prominent offensive stars. Bellingham has been in the starting lineup just a single time for his team since his comeback.

Tuchel has made room for Bukayo Saka, who is back to fitness and has been restored in place of his injured club colleague the sidelined player. The experienced attacker has not received a recall.

Complete England Squad List

Goalkeepers

  • Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace)
  • Everton's number one (the Toffees)
  • Manchester City's goalkeeper (Manchester City)

Backline

  • Newcastle's defender (the Magpies)
  • Crystal Palace's centre-back (Crystal Palace)
  • Reece James (the Blues)
  • Aston Villa's defender (Aston Villa)
  • Arsenal's young talent (Arsenal)
  • Jarell Quansah (the German club)
  • Djed Spence (Spurs)
  • John Stones (Manchester City)

Engine room

  • Nottingham Forest's midfielder (Forest)
  • Nottingham Forest's playmaker (Nottingham Forest)
  • Brentford's experienced head (the Bees)
  • Milan's midfielder (Milan)
  • Arsenal's anchor (the North London club)
  • Aston Villa's talent (the Midlands club)

Forwards

  • West Ham's forward (West Ham United)
  • Arsenal's attacker (Arsenal)
  • Anthony Gordon (the Geordies)
  • Bayern Munich's striker (the German giants)
  • Marcus Rashford (the Catalan club, on loan from United)
  • Arsenal's star (the Gunners)
  • Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)

The national team coach expressed his admiration for the energy in last month's squad and seems intent on maintaining the vibe. The Newcastle defender, who started at the defensive flank in the 5-0 win in Serbia, has been ruled out due to a knock. The manager has opted against selecting a like-for-like substitute for the Newcastle player but has selected the Manchester City defender, who had to pull out last month. He has discussed the Manchester City defender's importance for England and has suggested deploying him in the middle of the park.

No spot has been found for the midfielder, who was called up last month but withdrew due to injury and was replaced by Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

Tuchel said: “A mere three weeks after the previous gathering and the last win, the latest display, so the question was why not select the same group in because they set the standard. The focus now is on creating habits out of it. We have regrettably a couple of fitness issues at the moment with Tino and Noni and we welcome of course Bukayo Saka in to replace Noni. Jarell Quansah was a last-minute addition last time; he will remain with the squad.”

Deborah Rodriguez
Deborah Rodriguez

A seasoned travel writer and photographer with a passion for uncovering hidden gems and sharing authentic stories from around the globe.