Cole Palmer has been omitted from Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the upcoming Nations League clashes against Croatia and Spain.
Jude Bellingham’s brother Jobe, who plays for Borussia Dortmund, and Fulham’s Josh King have been handed their first senior call-ups.
Phil Foden and Kobbie Mainoo, meanwhile, join Chelsea star Palmer as notable names on the absentee list.
Tuchel sticks with trusted players
Speaking to Sky Sports after the squad announcement, Tuchel was forthcoming about his approach to selection.
“It’s always the ones who are in camp, the ones who don’t withdraw, the ones who walk the talk and come to camp and show it matters and put the quality in – that’s what we will always reward,” the German explained.
“I think it’s naturally coming through without needing to talk about it. That was always the message since very early, since we took charge.
“It matters when you’re in camp. It matters what you do in camp. The last camp was an excellent one, so the trust and belief is on the players who were there.”
Asked about the choice to leave out Palmer, Tuchel stated: “I guess everyone is desperate to play for England. Cole is no exception.
“It counts when you’re in camp. I said last time, he misses too many opportunities to impress. The players who were in camp built something extraordinary.
“It’s not personal. We’ll never assume Cole isn’t in the mindset to come and play for his country, but the competition is on and the players in the [last] camp did an amazing job.”
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England squad for Nations League
Goalkeepers
Jordan Pickford (Everton), Jason Steele (Brighton & Hove Albion), James Trafford (Leeds United)
Defenders
Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton), Marc Guéhi (Manchester City), Lewis Hall (Newcastle United), Ezri Konsa (Arsenal), Jarrell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Inter Milan), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Real Madrid), Ben White (Arsenal)
Midfielders
Elliot Anderson (Manchester City), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Jobe Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), James Garner (Everton), Josh King (Fulham), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), Declan Rice (Arsenal)
Forwards
Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds United), Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest), Anthony Gordon (Barcelona), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Rio Ngumoha (Liverpool), Morgan Rogers (Chelsea)
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