England Manager Tuchel Insists No Issue with Bellingham, Foden, or Jack Grealish

Media Caption: Tuchel discussing the Real Madrid Star

England's Head Coach Thomas Tuchel has declared that he holds "no conflict" with Jude Bellingham after the trio were omitted the Three Lions squad for forthcoming fixtures against Latvia and Wales.

Bellingham has not been recalled despite recovering from a shoulder injury, whereas Foden and Grealish are also absent although showing a return to form with their respective clubs.

The German manager mentioned that the 22-year-old wanted to be part of the squad, having spoken with him via telephone.

"He is a special player, and for special players there can often be exceptions," Tuchel remarked about the Real Madrid star, who has made just one start since coming back to full health.

"However we decided to maintain the simple decision of inviting the same group.

"Bellingham consistently merits to be here. There is also the situation that he has not fully found his optimal form again at Real Madrid - he has not completed a full game.

"The player expressed a desire to be called up. We conducted a phone call."

The England boss was keen to highlight his good rapport with Bellingham following he said sorry to him previously for calling his conduct during a match as "disgusting" in a live interview.

Tuchel stated that he used the words "without meaning to" and promised to be more careful in future.

When asked if he had any issue with the player, he responded: "No. There is no issue either with Phil Foden or Grealish.

"Foden is back to influencing and deciding games for Manchester City. Jack is almost to being back to the top form of himself.

"There is no personal problem."

Bukayo Saka replacing the injured Madueke is the only change to the previous squad, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Jarell Quansah retaining their places after being last-minute call-ups last month due to fitness concerns.

The Three Lions face the Welsh team in a non-competitive match at Wembley Stadium on this Thursday before a qualifying match in Riga on October 14.

If England win in the away fixture, they will need a up to two more points from their remaining two qualifiers - against Serbia and Albania in November - to secure a place in next summer's World Cup in North America.

Impressive Display By Tuchel

England produced their best display by some distance under the manager's guidance when they defeated Serbia five-nil on the road in the Serbian capital last time out.

The coach says that showing made it an easy decision to keep mostly the identical group, though "there are no certainties" for every squad member regarding being picked.

"Our previous gathering was just a few weeks ago and the cohesion and morale was on the highest level. That is the reason we decided to invite the same group to this session," he said.

"Foden is in a very good moment. Wharton deserves to be with us. Jones and Chalobah are earning playing time with their teams.

"We have players who warrant to be here. Cole Palmer is unfit and is a special player. It will always be the case.

"Are we a stronger side with Bellingham? Yes. But I mentioned before, what do we do if he is unavailable before the World Cup? Do we simply give up?"

Tuchel's Media Briefing Gets Noticed

Thomas Tuchel once more delivered a headline-grabbing news conference.

He, a expert of handling his interactions with the press, began with an opening statement to set out his thinking for his selections.

Bellingham is ready to play and expressed interest to join to the squad, but the coach explained he preferred not to change the team too much after a impressive 5-0 victory over Serbia - where the boss noted team spirit was extremely strong.

However with Tuchel not selecting the star, and his repeated remarks about togetherness, it is hard not to connect the aspects - even though he insisted multiple times how Bellingham is "special" and that there is "no issue" between him and one of the national team's key talents.

The England manager has always made it clear that he wanted to make the England squad feel like a club side and, by retaining the same squad after a statement win, he has achieved that. But the inquiries will arise once more in the next camp if England perform strongly in these upcoming fixtures.

Joanne Moran
Joanne Moran

A passionate gamer and tech enthusiast with years of experience in the gaming industry.