A member of the England U21 team has been called up by Thomas Tuchel to participate in training with the senior squad in preparation for his first matches as manager this week.
Wembley Stadium will serve as the venue for both of England’s World Cup qualifying matches, which will take place on Friday and Monday, respectively, against Albania and Latvia.
Morgan Gibbs-White was added to Tuchel’s selection as a replacement for Cole Palmer, who suffered a suspected muscle injury prior to Chelsea’s 1-0 loss to Arsenal. Tuchel had called up a squad of 26 players the previous Friday, but he was forced to include Gibbs-White in his selection.
Aside from that, there have been no other players who have withdrawn from the competition due to injury or other issues, which means that the German has his entire squad from which to choose.
However, in order to increase the number of players in senior training, Tuchel has decided to include an England U21 player. This is something that is typically done during international camps.
He has decided to include Adam Wharton, a star player for Crystal Palace, in the main squad’s training sessions after he was selected for Lee Carsley’s U21 setup.
During the previous month, Tuchel made a very specific trip to a Palace match in order to watch the former Blackburn midfielder in action.
As a result of Wharton’s outstanding performance in the second half of the Premier League season for the club that he had just joined, Gareth Southgate decided to include him in England’s squad for the Euro 2024 tournament.
It is possible that Tuchel’s decision to not select him this time around was partially influenced by the fact that he suffered a groin injury that caused him to miss three months of action between the months of October and January of this regular season.
The German, on the other hand, will now have the opportunity to go up close and personal with Wharton at St. George’s Park. The 20-year-old player is hoping to give him a selection headache for future squads.
There were some people who were upset with Tuchel because he chose to bring back Jordan Henderson, who is 34 years old, to the squad rather than other players such as Wharton, Gibbs-White, or James Maddison of Tottenham. However, the new manager of the Three Lions explained his decision in a press conference that took place on Friday.
He stated, “Team spirit is the most important aspect of football in general, and possibly even more so in international football.” The objective is to construct a group of players who take pleasure in competing against one another and who are able to convey their enthusiasm to the fans, the nation, and the country.
“The goal is to establish a sense of brotherhood. Consequently, we are unable to accomplish this feat solely with younger players, nor can we do so solely with more seasoned players.
In my opinion, it is necessary to strike a good balance and a good mix, and that is exactly what we are attempting to accomplish.
“Without doubt, players like Dan Burn and Jordan Henderson bring something to a group, from leadership and devotion and being humble, and from setting the standards and taking care about the respect in the group.”
