Thomas Tuchel to speak to ‘important’ Jude Bellingham and other players ahead of next camp
Thomas Tuchel has said he will contact Jude Bellingham and other players left out of his latest England squad before making his next cap in November.
The Three Lions became the first and so far only European nation to secure their place at next summer’s World Cup with a convincing 5-0 victory over Latvia in Riga on Tuesday.
The victory represents six wins in six qualifying matches for Tuchel’s side, who are yet to concede a goal in a competitive match under the German.
The most recent result came in the absence of Bellingham and several other top players, such as Trent Alexander-Arnold, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer.
Asked if he would speak to the Real Madrid midfielder ahead of the upcoming camp, Tuchel replied: “I suppose so, why not? Of course he is [Bellingham] an important player is a great player.
“I’ll talk to a lot of players. The guys who weren’t at camp, they’ll get text messages from me – especially from them. The guys who are here now have the reward, they feel the reward and it’s necessary now also for me to stay in touch with the other guys.”
Tuchel reiterated that his team’s exclusion should not be seen as a punishment, instead insisting that competition for places was an essential part of his tenure.
“No one did anything wrong, it’s not a punishment or anything, and I feel like when I text them or talk to them, everyone can’t wait to come back,” Tuchel said.
“That’s the way it should be and I have confidence in more players than [those] here. We always talk about the same names [outside the squad] but we have Conor Gallagher, we have Trevoh Chalobah, we have Cole Palmer injured and a lot of other guys who deserve to be with us and who are hungry and determined to be with us.
The England boss has largely played down his side’s chances of going all the way next summer, but believes the team is moving in the right direction.
“It’s a possibility, yes,” he said of his World Cup victory.
“We will get there. I can’t promise that we will win it but I think we will get there with a strong team, strong cohesion and the right spirit. It builds. It shows on the pitch. That’s the basis of it all.
“We will start analyzing the favorites very early. There is huge support within the FA, everyone is on this, there is a machine running behind. We will now analyze Brazil, Argentina, Spain, France, Portugal.
“It’s a special feeling to qualify. It’s not every day you qualify for a World Cup. It’s our childhood dream to be part of it and I couldn’t be more proud to arrive as England coach.
“I was a little more nervous than usual before the Latvia game because I really wanted to cross the finish line. It’s such a good feeling from the last two camps and it’s just nice to have proof of that.”
England face Serbia and Albania in their final two qualifying group matches in November.
