Four days after sending a text message to four first-team stars from Crystal Palace, Thomas Tuchel included three players from the club in his first England squad. The players were all members of the Crystal Palace first team.
A World Cup qualifying match against Albania and a match against Latvia are scheduled to take place later this month. Tuchel announced his 26-man squad on Friday morning.
There were a few selections that came as a surprise, such as Kyle Walker, Jarell Quansah, and Jordan Henderson, a midfielder for Ajax. Henderson has been chosen over players such as Morgan Gibbs-White and Adam Wharton.
After the German manager sent a text message to the midfielder prior to Palace’s Premier League match against Ipswich Town, many people believed that Wharton was destined to be a part of Tuchel’s squad. This was the case because the message was sent before the match.
According to the latter, who disclosed the contents of the message in a recent interview, Tuchel reached out to Wharton in addition to Marc Guehi, Eberechi Eze, and Dean Henderson.
“If I’m being completely honest, I’d just love to play for England this time around. I’d love to get a cap, another cap,” she said. “That is one of my goals, and I am working towards achieving it,” said Henderson.
Prior to the game, Tuchel sent a text message, and it is comforting to know that he is taking in the action. Just wishing me the best of luck, he wrote that he would be present at the game and would be sitting in the stands watching it. It’s nice to know that he’s watching, especially considering that he did it alongside Adam Wharton, Marc Guehi, and Ebs Eberechi Eze.
Henderson concluded by saying: “All I can do is control what I can control – that’s my job for the team, and the way the manager wants me to play; showing up in big moments, which I have been doing.”
Guehi, Eze, and Henderson were all included in Tuchel’s plans, and Wharton was selected to be a part of Lee Carsley’s under-21 squad for the upcoming friendlies against Portugal and France.
After a 4-1 victory over Aston Villa at the end of February, Wharton was recognised as the best player of the match and received the award for Man of the Match. Tuchel was present in the stands to watch the game.
However, it would appear that his recent performances for the Eagles were not sufficient, as the German named Curtis Jones, Declan Rice, Morgan Rogers, Jude Bellingham, and Jordan Henderson in his first squad.
In response to a question about his decision to include Henderson, Tuchel stated, “We called Hendo back up because I think his career, as well as the way he plays now and imposes himself at Ajax, is just so impressive.” It is character, personality, and energy that he uses to construct it.
For me, Jordan is a call-up that is comparable to that of Dan Burn. This is a responsibility that they bear on their shoulders. Their teams are carried by them. What they bring in terms of energy is something that can be relied upon one hundred percent.
Tuchel continued by saying, “This is also where the focus is for us, to build a cohesive team as quickly as possible.” For our purposes, Jordan is a significant piece of that puzzle.
