It’s safe to say that some of the additions (and exclusions) made by England manager Thomas Tuchel’s first Three Lions roster have not gone down well. For instance, Jordan Henderson’s return to the fold has undoubtedly caused some agitation.
Dan Burn of Newcastle United got his first call; Marcus Rashford’s comeback has paid dividends, and young Arsenal player Myles Lewis-Skelly is receiving international recognition for his outstanding club play.
It’s time to reveal Thomas Tuchel’s first #ThreeLions squad! 👀🏴
— England (@England) March 14, 2025
The inclusion of the 34-year-old Henderson, a central midfielder who has long been a seasoned asset for the Three Lions, has confused the English media. Tuchel has a plethora of choices at his disposal.
The Response of English Media to Henderson’s Call-Up
“Out of Ajax’s last nine games, Jordan Henderson has started two of them.”
Henderson, who was born in Sunderland, returned to Europe in the summer to play for Ajax after a turbulent six-month stay in Saudi Arabia with Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq. However, it’s safe to assume that under Francesco Farioli’s leadership, he is not the team’s first choice.
Henderson is considered to be one of the most underappreciated English football players in history, hence the English media’s response to his selection for World Cup qualifying matches against Albania and Latvia has been somewhat negative.
Ryan Taylor of The Mirror said Tuchel’s choice is “utterly bemusing” since the former Liverpool captain, who played 492 times for the Reds, hasn’t put up a 90-minute performance in nearly six weeks.
Jordan Henderson’s comeback to the England team is completely perplexing. hasn’t played 90 minutes in the Eredivisie in about six weeks and hasn’t been a consistent starter for Ajax lately.
“I would never claim to be impartial, but it is incomprehensible that Jordan Henderson was selected for that England team over Morgan Gibbs-White and Elliot Anderson.” iPaper’s Daniel Story wrote. “Jordan Henderson has started two of Ajax’s last nine games,” said Matt Law of The Telegraph, succinctly highlighting Henderson’s lack of recent playing time.
The omission of Gibbs-White is “bewildering.”
“He has emerged as one of the Premier League’s top players.”
As previously mentioned, a twice-capped Morgan Gibbs-White has been at the core of Nottingham Forest’s quest for a top four finish, but Tuchel and his team have not called him up.
John Percy of The Telegraph has called Gibbs-White’s exclusion “bewildering” considering his skill and form. Gibbs-White, 25, has five goals and six assists in 24 Premier League games this season as the Garibaldi attempt the inconceivable.
Although each manager will have a rationale for their choices, it is confusing to exclude Morgan Gibbs-White. Forest had a terrific season; they were reliable, disciplined, and constantly becoming better. It’s quite unfortunate that he wasn’t involved.
Jordan Northcroft extolled the virtues of the offensive midfielder, saying, “It’s unbelievable that Gibbs-White isn’t playing.” With his enthusiasm, vision, tactical acumen, and passion, he has emerged as one of the Premier League’s top players.
I’m not going to pretend that I get infuriated by who is and isn’t in the England squad, but there do seem to be a couple of very odd decisions from Tuchel there…
And I’d be absolutely frothing if I was Morgan Gibbs-White.
— Joe Crann (@YesWeCrann) March 14, 2025
Paul Taylor of The Athletic expressed his shock that neither Gibbs-White nor Elliot Anderson, two Nottingham Forest players, were selected. It’s difficult to understand how Morgan Gibbs-White is excluded. There was not a single NFFC participant. Startled.
