England manager Thomas Tuchel has made ruthless squad decisions ahead of Thursday's World Cup qualifier against Serbia at Wembley, signaling that team structure will trump star power in his selection strategy.
Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott, 20, has been left out of the 23-player matchday squad despite receiving his first senior call-up just six days ago. Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi was also omitted due to a foot injury that has troubled him all week.
Tuchel indicated Scott would likely make his debut in Sunday's match against Albania instead, with England staff reassuring the young player he remains in their plans for the second fixture.
Star trio face rotation
The German manager delivered a stark message about his willingness to bench high-profile players. Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, and Phil Foden may not all start together in Tuchel's preferred 4-2-3-1 formation.
«At the moment, if we keep the structure, they cannot play,» Tuchel said. «We don't like it, not because they don't individually deserve it, but we will always do what's best for the team, we will always do what's best for winning.»
The manager emphasized this approach would continue into tournaments, rejecting the idea of "crowbarring all the best players into the team" at the expense of tactical balance.
Bellingham returns with expectations
Jude Bellingham has been recalled to the England squad after missing last month's fixtures while recovering from shoulder surgery. Tuchel described the Real Madrid midfielder's return as a «no brainer» but set clear expectations.
«We have something going here. We are building something. We are super excited you are back, but the message is — contribute to it,» Tuchel told Bellingham and Phil Foden, who is also returning to the fold.
England has won all four games this autumn without Bellingham, establishing what sources describe as a positive squad dynamic. Bellingham faces competition for the No10 role from Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze.
Scott's World Cup dream
Despite missing Thursday's match, Scott expressed joy at his call-up. «I'm over the moon,» he said. «It is everything I dreamed for back then. Six years ago, I was playing non league football and I wasn't even sure if I was going to make it as a football player, so to now be in the England senior team is a dream come true.»
The match against Serbia represents new coach Veljko Paunović's first game in charge. Although England has already secured qualification for the 2026 World Cup by winning their first six qualifiers under Tuchel, the manager described the fixture as «a final» for the Serbians, who still have qualification hopes.
With only four games remaining before final World Cup squad selection, competition for places has intensified across the England roster.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
