Reporting provided by GOAL.com
Declan Rice has hit back at anybody questioning whether Jude Bellingham should be in the England squad, with the Arsenal star saying that the Three Lions “do miss” his fellow midfielder.
Thomas Tuchel took to leaving the Real Madrid ‘Galactico’ out of his plans for a friendly date with Wales and a World Cup qualifier against Latvia, leading some to ponder when or if a recall will be earned.
Why Bellingham was left out of England squad
Bellingham has sat out the last two international breaks. He missed the first of those, in September, after undergoing surgery to fix a long-standing shoulder injury. A return to competitive action with Real was made on September 20, with a further four appearances being taken in since then.
The 22-year-old is still working his way back to full match fitness and sharpness, making it easier for Tuchel to overlook him on this occasion. It is considered to be only a matter of time before he is absorbed into the fold once more, with Bellingham far too talented to be left on the outside looking in.
Thomas Tuchel and England are nearing World Cup qualification. (Photo by Robin Jones/Getty Images)
Rice support for Bellingham, Palmer and Foden
Rice admits as much, with the Arsenal star looking forward to seeing Bellingham slot into the England team alongside him. He also expects Chelsea talisman Cole Palmer, who is nursing a knock at present, and Manchester City playmaker Phil Foden, who has started to rediscover a lost spark, to be back on the international stage sooner rather than later.
Rice said after captaining England – with usual skipper Harry Kane another of those to be nursing a minor injury – to a 3-0 victory over Wales at Wembley Stadium: “I think every time you play for England, you want to grab the shirt, you want to grab your chance. But we do miss Jude, for sure. We miss Phil, we miss Cole, we miss loads of players for reasons that the manager’s obviously said.
“We are obviously an unreal team, and they’re in the team as well. Let’s not get away from that. What they’ve done in an England shirt is incredible. We’re looking forward to having them back next camp, hopefully. As a team, we want to keep integrating everyone as much as possible before the World Cup. I think that’s the most important thing, and we’ve done that in the past.”
Tuchel sends selection warning to England stars
Tuchel has kept faith with many of those that impressed during the September break, leading to the likes of Foden and Everton loanee Jack Grealish missing out. He has stated that nobody will be picked on reputation alone, with every place in his plans having to be earned.
The German tactician said: “We are not collecting the most talented players, we are trying to build a team. Teams win trophies, no-one else. That’s how it is in international football. But the thing you are playing [back to me] is just not what I’m saying. You might be taking part in the sport that claims: ‘He [Tuchel] is saying the others who aren’t within the staff, you can not construct a staff with them’. It’s not like this. We constructed a staff with the gamers who had been obtainable they usually did so effectively so we go once more with them. No one mentioned we will’t do the identical with them. And even higher, or perhaps the identical degree, with the others.
“For this second we follow our alternative and the unconventional assertion is that we don’t acquire essentially the most gifted gamers. We acquire the blokes who’ve the glue and cohesion to be the very best staff. As a result of we have to arrive as the very best staff. We’ll arrive as underdogs on the World Cup as a result of we haven’t received it for many years and we’ll play towards groups who’ve repeatedly received it throughout that point. So now we have to reach as a staff or we could have no likelihood.”
Subsequent up for England after spectacular win over Wales
Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers was amongst these to catch the attention in Bellingham’s absence, as he operated in a No.10 function towards Wales and opened his senior worldwide purpose account. Bukayo Saka, on his first England outing since June, additionally impressed heading into a gathering with Latvia on Tuesday that would see the Three Lions verify their place at subsequent summer season’s World Cup finals.
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