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By LUKE POWER, SPORTS REPORTER and MICHAEL PAVITT, SPORTS REPORTER and IAN LADYMAN, FOOTBALL EDITOR and CRAIG HOPE, CHIEF FOOTBALL REPORTER Updated: 00: 09 AEDT, 8 November 2025 102 View comments Follow Daily Mail Sport's live blog as Thomas Tuchel names his Three Lions squad for their 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against Serbia and Albania.   Thomas Tuchel tells it like it is. Explaining why four players missed out, he said: 'Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Morgan Gibbs-White and James Trafford. 'Outperformed by Nico [O’Reilly], by Alex Scott, by Jude [Bellingham] and by Nick Pope in their positions. ' Tuchel has a reputation as some sort of destructive genius. None of his last four club jobs lasted more than a couple of years. They all ended with trophies but several also saw bad blood. Maybe it's time to change the narrative around him. His first senior football job, at Mainz, actually lasted five years. It sounds like he is generally getting on with people in the England set-up, so why not stick around for a few years if he enjoys it? He was asked if he is open to extending his contract, which ends after the 2026 World Cup. And he replied: 'Yeah, it's a lot of fun. There is nothing to announce right now. Most important is that we stay focused now for the next camp. 'I'm in a good place mentally because I love the team and love the federation. I haven't thought much about the contract, but we have plenty of time for it. ' Alright, it's time to hear from the Daily Mail readership, always a barometer of wisdom and insight. I've been scouring the comments for some of your strongest contributions and without further ado, here they are. Some football fans may have done a double take when they saw the name ALEX SCOTT in the England squad. That Alex Scott? The one who used to play for the Lionesses? Of course not. We're on about the rising Bournemouth star, who really is earning his stripes on the south coast. You can read more about his journey from non-league and why he was selected here. In case you're just joining us, here's a rundown of England's latest group. Lee Carsley has announced his group for England U21s's upcoming Euros qualifiers against Ireland and Slovakia. At first glance, lots of familiar names in there from previous U21 set-ups. Keep an eye out for Preston's Thierry Small after his cracking goal against Swansea on Wednesday. One man who hasn't received much attention in all the hullaballo around the England squad is Luke Shaw. But this is arguably the fittest he has been in a long time and he has been producing the performances to match. Nico O'Reilly and Dan Burn have made this squad, and it's tough to argue against them, especially with the attacking threat the former brings. You wonder whether Tuchel could have found room for Shaw, though, so he could at least learn about him. Is he going to discover much about Burn this time? I'm still startled sometimes by how frankly Tuchel speaks. Explaining why four players missed out, he said: 'Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Morgan Gibbs-White and James Trafford. 'Outperformed by Nico [O’Reilly], by Alex Scott, by Jude and by Nick Pope in their positions. ' Tell us how you really feel, Thomas! He added: 'Myles simply needs more starts, more minutes, we selected him at the last camps despite his position. Now came a time when Nico O'Reilly had many starts. ' By Luke Power Alex Scott received a huge round of applause after it was announced that he has made the England squad for the first time. The 22-year-old, who looked quite emotional, thanked his Cherries team-mates for their support. 'Look, my brothers, I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for everything. Obviously it has been a good season so far, ' he said. 'Obviously a very proud moment for me. I can't wait and I want to say thank you for making it happen. ' By Luke Power I also found it interesting that Tuchel said he will touch base with a pool of 55-60 players between the end of the upcoming camp and the one in March. That sounds like a proactive process, not just messaging players, but acutally getting out and meeting them. He emphasised that his squad is open, and that his past three camps have been picked specifically for that international break, not with an eye on the World Cup. Of course, he would say that the squad is open. All the same, it has to be music to the ears of players like Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jack Grealish, and Harry Maguire. There is a chance. By Luke Power Phil Foden disliked playing on the left wing at the Euros last year. It was obvious to every fan that his influence was marginalised and he admitted that himself. Tuchel was strong in saying that Foden is 'strongest, close to the opponents' box between a nine and a 10'. What that means in practice is hard to say. Is Tuchel going to play him alongside Bellingham in a duo of number 10s? That would likely spell disaster for Elliot Anderson, and perhaps the balance of the team. Or does it simply mean that Foden and Bellingham are in direct competition for minutes? By Luke Power Thomas Tuchel made it absolutely clear that he sees Jude Bellingham's best position as a number 10. Hard luck for Morgan Rogers. But intriguingly, whenever he spoke about the Real Madrid man, he circled back to why he wants Bellingham in attacking midfield. And that's because he's so good at arriving in the number nine position. That prompts the question. .. does he have a long-term future as a false nine? With Harry Kane the only recognised striker in the England camp, and Tuchel seemingly being open to experimentation, it's worth thinking about. Well, Tuchel has wrapped up his press conference, but there is plenty to discuss for the rest of the day. There's so many things to dive into, including: By Luke Power By Luke Power By Luke Power Tuchel was asked if there are any thoughts about his future beyond the end of his contract By Craig Hope Thomas Tuchel has addressed the absence of Ollie Watkins (I’d written off his World Cup hopes 20 minutes ago! ) but the England boss says it is because the Aston Villa striker is currently playing with discomfort and it didn’t make sense to involve him. Hmm… given he’s also just lauded the qualities of Foden and Bellingham in No. 9 areas, I’m still not sure about Watkins’ future involvement. By Luke Power By Luke Power By Luke Power By Luke Power By Luke Power By Ian Ladyman If I was Myles Lewis-Skelly, I would not be too downhearted by this exclusion. Thomas Tuchel and his staff are HUGE fans of the Arsenal player. He is only 19 and just needs to find his club form. If he does that over the winter, I think he will go to America. By Ian Ladyman Question: Where does Jude Bellingham play in this England team? The double pivot of Declan Rice and Elliott Anderson is settled. Morgan Rogers is Tuchel’s preferred number ten. Could we see Bellingham as a false nine? Don’t rule it out. By Luke Power Harry Maguire has 64 England caps but he doesn't look like adding to that any time soon. Clearly John Stones and Marc Guehi are the starting centre-backs next summer at this rate, while it looks like Ezri Konsa and Jarell Quansah, even Dan Burn coming inside, are ahead of Maguire in the pecking order. We are missing his aerial prowess, though. Maguire has provided some huge moments for England down the years. , including breaking the deadlock in the World Cup quarter-finals against Sweden in 2018. Even when his United form has faltered, he has been reliable for his country. Is there really no way back for him? Would you give him a chance? By Luke Power Phil Foden was left out of the previous three England squads and has last appearance for the Three Lions was all the way back in March. He was a shadow of himself last season and it wasn't much of a surprise to see Tuchel leave him out, especially given that he had struggled to replicate his best form on the international stage. His performances have picked up this campaign and two goals against Borussia Dortmund in midweek will have helped his case. By Luke Power Anthony Gordon has been called up by Tuchel despite nursing a hip injury. He hobbled off against Athletic Bilbao in midweek and has been ruled out of Toon's weekend clash with Brentford, but clearly the England staff feel he will be ready in time for the international break. He broke into the squad for the first time last year and has made himself a regular, racking up 16 appearances. His pace on the counter-attack is something we should exploit when we can. By Craig Hope This squad feels like an important one to be part of, given the next games aren’t until March. It tells me that Ollie Watkins is unlikely to go to the World Cup (barring an injury to Harry Kane) and that Marcus Rashford is perhaps now seen as his deputy at centre-forward, as well as Jarrod Bowen. By Luke Power Whatever leadership qualities Jordan Henderson has, I want to experience them for a minute! His England career looked down and out when he moved to Saudi Arabia in 2023, and even at Ajax he flattered to deceive. But he has been a regular starter for Brentford this season, popping up with the occasional assist, and Tuchel clearly likes having him around for his off-the-pitch qualities as well as his on-field experience. By Luke Power Tuchel has clearly taken a shine to Marcus Rashford. From the off, he insisted that he was willing to give the forward a shot and he has seized that with both hands. He has banged in six goals and provided seven assists for Barcelona this season, enough for there to be reports coming out of Spain that they want to keep him permanently. He also netted against Serbia in December, albeit from the penalty spot, but that was a sign that he is confident enough to step up for them and respected enough in the team to be trusted with them. We believe Alex Scott is just the third Channel Islander to be called up for England after Graeme Le Saux and Matt Le Tissier. .. which makes him the first Channel Islander without 'Le' as one of his names! 'He had an excellent (U21s) Euros. He won the title. Lee (Carsley) was full of praise. He did an excellent job in midfield together with Elliot Anderson, who is now a regular starter for us. Very impressive. 'But then he took another step and becomes a very regular starter now for Bournemouth. And they are in the top third of the league, they're overperforming constantly and he's a starter for them. 'He puts the intensity in, he gets his minutes. So we thought this is maybe the perfect time to reward him and to get to know him and to see what he can bring to our team. ' Good old Thomas Tuchel. He’s always good for a surprise. Who saw Alex Scott coming? Nobody! ! I find it strange that there is only one striker in the squad. Am not sure what that says about Ollie Watkins and Danny Welbeck and others. And the inclusion of Adam Wharton is an interesting one. Tuchel has previously harboured doubts about the Crystal Palace midfielder but has obviously been won over. By Luke Power We now have confirmation that Arsenal youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly has lost his place. We saw it coming, because Tuchel wants him to play more. What we didn't see coming was the omission of Watkins. In fact, Tuchel has chosen just one striker in Harry Kane (though Marcus Rashford can fill in there). Then again, Watkins has managed just one goal in 15 appearances this campaign. Not exactly England squad form. By Luke Power I'm a big fan of this recall. Nick Pope is an excellent shot-stopper and, as we learned recently, an absolutely mammoth thrower who can launch a counter-attack in the blink of an eye. If you don't know about his 65-yard throw against Benfica, you can read about it below. By Luke Power Now this has come out of the blue. Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott is in the squad. What a journey he has been on. The silky-footed midfielder used to play in non-league for Guernsey, where he was born. Now he has reached the top level of international football. He has previously been hailed as an 'unbelievable talent' by Pep Guardiola. Bravo. By Luke Power Jude Bellingham makes his return to the England squad, while Phil Foden and Adam Wharton are in, too. This is a huge announcement by Thoams Tuchel and we'll be bringing you further analysis right here. By Luke Power By Luke Power Our Manchester City man Jack Gaughan says Nico O'Reilly is back in the team. He was in last time but is awaiting a first cap. By Luke Power Our Chelsea reporter Kieran Gill is hearing that Reece James is in line for a return. He's expected to be the only Blues man in the next squad. By Luke Power How time flies. Sorry to break it to you, but it has been seven years since Danny Welbeck made his last England appearance. Now he is older and seemingly wiser. He has six goals in 10 Premier League outings this season for Brighton. Nobody has really staked a strong claim to that back-up spot behind Harry Kane. Welbeck has a good record for the Three Lions. Could he sneak in? Recently, Fabian Hurzeler asked the Brighton squad to raise their hand if they think the striker could play for England. Apparently, pretty much everyone did. By Luke Power Myles Lewis-Skelly has been axed from the England squad, according to the BBC. It comes after Tuchel sent him a warning over his place in the team last month due to his lack of starts for Arsenal. He has started just two of Arsenal's five games since the last international break. By Luke Power We'll get to see over the next international break whether or not Jude Bellingham is willing to put into practice the very public advice that Thomas Tuchel has given him. It's evident that the German wants Bellingham to channel his aggression better and avoid 'intimidating' his team-mates. He's been strong enough to leave him out for qualifiers we're expected to win, but when it comes to crunch time, will he have the guts and chutzpah to leave him on the bench if he sees fit? It looks like Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson have claimed the midfield pivot positions, so Bellingham will likely be fighting for the number 10 role, which is much more open-ended. By Luke Power Hats off to Dan Burn for his sensational header in midweek against Athletic Bilbao. Thomas Tuchel is clearly a fan of the mountainous full-back and sees his value from set plays. They were so dangerous for England at the 2018 World Cup, but we could lack some aerial threat this time around as it looks like Harry Maguire isn't going to the World Cup. At this rate, anyway. Fortunately we have a man who is even more dominant in the air! By Luke Power CRAIG HOPE: Anthony Gordon’s hip injury could keep him out of Newcastle’s trip to Brentford on Sunday, but that does not mean he won’t join up with England. It’s thought the problem that forced him off against Bilbao in midweek is not serious, although a scan will determine if he is able to play this weekend and during the international break. We should have more on this through the course of the morning. Gordon, though, will be determined to link up with the Three Lions, given he is currently the man in possession of the left-wing jersey, and he wants to keep it that way. By Luke Power Tuchel is in an interesting situation here. He's well aware that this is one of the last international breaks he'll have before the World Cup, so by this stage he probably wants quite a settled group. Equally, with qualification secured - not that that was ever in much doubt - he does have the freedom to experiment, so it will be intriguing to see if he takes a gamble on some outside names. Doers he, for example, bring Jack Grealish into the fold despite never having picked him? Wuld Max Dowman be in with a shout as a wildcard, similar to a Theo Walcott situation in 2006? By Luke Power IAN LADYMAN: Another interesting selection revolves around Djed Spence at full-back. Tuchel was at Tottenham when Spence flounced past his manager Thomas Frank after defeat to Chelsea last week. Where does all that sit with the England manager’s ‘no d***head’ policy? Tuchel needs team players for a seven week stay in America next summer, not prima donnas. And, finally, a shout for Brighton striker Danny Wellbeck. He is bang in form…and has a better record over two seasons for goals and assists than Ollie Watkins… By Luke Power IAN LADYMAN: So with Bellingham back in the squad – as confirmed by our chief football reporter Craig Hope last night – attention turns to some other issues around Thomas Tuchel and his choices. As far as I am concerned, Phil Foden must return. I think we can accept that Foden will not be a starter for Tuchel but the Manchester City midfielder is a potential game breaker from the bench. Having sat and listened to Tuchel talk on several occasions about the importance of squad unity and the rest of it, I understand where he is coming from. But the bottom line is that you don’t go to a World Cup without your best players. Do you? By Michael Pavitt Jude Bellingham's absence was the major talking point of Tuchel's last squad. The Real Madrid midfielder had been left out of last month’s matches against Wales and Latvia despite declaring himself available following shoulder surgery. Tuchel has spoken repeatedly about the want for his players to be good team-mates and of his desire to create togetherness within the squad. It was in June that he revealed his own mother found some of Bellingham’s on-field behaviour ‘repulsive’. It led to the possibility of the German pressing ahead with World Cup preparations without one of his most gifted players, especially when he praised the attitude of the players selected in his absence. But Bellingham is now set to return. You can bet Tuchel will be asked about Bellingham's return this morning. .. By Michael Pavitt England may have already rubber stamped their place at next summer's World Cup, but Thomas Tuchel's latest squad announcement feels vital for several players as they push their cases for inclusion. Big names including Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish were absent from the previous squad and will be hopeful for inclusion today. Daily Mail Sport's Craig Hope has reported that Bellingham is set to return to the fold for matches against Serbia and Latvia. Who else deserves inclusion and will Tuchel's latest squad add further doubts to World Cup hopes of some stars? We will have all the build-up and reaction to his squad, which is being announced at 10am. Last International break for about 4 months guys a. ..

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