Thomas Tuchel will take charge of England for the first time on Friday night, as the Three Lions host Albania in a World Cup 2026 qualifying match.
After announcing his first England squad since officially taking the job at the start of 2025, Tuchel made some bold calls adding the likes of Dan Burn, Jordan Henderson and Marcus Rashford, as well as leaving out a couple of high-profile names.
Injury to Cole Palmer has seen the Chelsea man replaced with Morgan Gibbs-White, highlighting just how far down the pecking order some players truly are for the England manager – though Tuchel’s intention is to hopefully get as many talented players back into selection, provided they are playing enough games for their clubs at a high level.
Thomas Tuchel explains why exciting talent has failed to make England squad
Arguably the most notable omission from Tuchel’s squad is Jack Grealish, with the Manchester City man having played just 36 minutes of Premier League football this calendar year.
Though the German boss realises Grealish’s ability, he also indicated that it’s difficult to include him in a squad when he’s out of favour at club level. Intriguingly, Tuchel also added that he’s talked to Grealish about his lack of minutes, suggesting the player isn’t happy with his involvement under Pep Guardiola at the moment.
“I love Jack,” Tuchel said when asked about the 29-year-old. “As a headline, I love Jack. I love everything about him. I love his personality, I love his quality. The guy has courage, he can take the heat, he’s not afraid of the Bernabeu whistles when he’s on the ball, it does not affect him and if it affects him only in the best way.
“So, is he a player that should be available and can have an impact in our squad? Yes, 100 per cent.
“He simply has no rhythm and he himself – and I agree 100 per cent with this – said, ‘Listen, Thomas, I’m not a start-stop player – it is so hard for me to influence a match from the bench and then be on the bench again, and then two weeks later I start again’.”
Grealish has been linked with a move away from Manchester City in the summer to revive his somewhat ailing career, with Tottenham and a return to Aston Villa both mooted.
With two years still remaining on his contract, and the fact he cost Manchester City £100m in 2021, Grealish certainly won’t come cheap, however. While Transfermarkt values him at £38m, it’s likely a fee of more than £50m is needed to tempt Manchester City into a sale.
In FourFourTwo’s view, both Grealish and Tuchel are completely correct in their evaluations of the player’s current situation. He clearly needs to get out of the Etihad Stadium as soon as possible, especially with World Cup 2026 just around the corner now.
