England head coach Thomas Tuchel has reportedly left two players out of his match-day squad for Monday’s World Cup qualifier against Latvia at Wembley.
Tuchel, 51, took charge of his first England fixture on Friday evening as the Three Lions played out a relatively routine 2-0 victory against Albania, during which Myles Lewis-Skelly and Harry Kane got on the scoresheet.
On Friday, Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White and Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah were left out of the 23-man match day squad, however, could feature against Latvia as they will return to the squad according to reports from BBC Sport.
Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon was a second-half substitute on Friday but appeared to sustain an injury in the last moments of the fixture, as a result, he returned to his club and will miss out this evening.
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Meanwhile, his Magpies teammate Tino Livramento was included in the 23-man squad for the victory last week but will miss out this evening, with Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale also not making the cut for the second consecutive match.
Livramento's omission means Lewis-Skelly will likely retain his starting place at left-back after an impressive debut performance.
"We have to get the process right to find the best group," Tuchel said.
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"If that means we leave very good and talented players out of the squad this can happen. In the next 16 months it is important we find the right team and not the most talented 26 players.
"We need to get the team right. We need to get the team spirit right because it's one thing to play qualifiers, it's another thing to play tournament football."
Tonight's fixture will be Tuchel's last chance to watch his side for 75 days, as the Three Lions do not play again until they face Andorra on June 7 before a friendly against Senegal three days later.
Given the fact that the 2026 World Cup is still 14 months away, the 26-man squad selected for this round of international fixtures will likely change ahead of the tournament - although players will still be keen to impress their new head coach.
Topics: England, Thomas Tuchel
Luke Alfred Davies