The Three Lions’ World Cup 2026 qualification encounter against Albania on Friday night marks the official start of the Thomas Tuchel era at England. However, three players will be left out of the squad just before the match. The appointment of the former Chelsea manager to succeed Gareth Southgate in late 2024 was enthusiastically received.
After the Three Lions advanced to the European Championship finals back-to-back, he is regarded as a serial winner and the kind of manager who could lead England to the next level. He has won numerous league titles with Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich in addition to the Champions League trophy with the Blues.
Although he was hired in 2024, Tuchel would not formally take over as England’s manager until 2025. During the international break, supporters will get the opportunity to watch England play under Tuchel for the first time against Latvia and Albania. However, after his first squad was announced, there was some scepticism. Three of the players were removed after fans expressed confusion over some of the inclusions.
Tuchel Cuts Morgan Gibbs-White
He also dropped Aaron Ramsdale and Jarell Quansah
The absence of Nottingham Forest players in Tuchel’s first England squad, given their stellar Premier League season, was one of the main complaints from supporters. A number of English players have excelled for Forest this season, and they are now on track to qualify for the Champions League. Morgan Gibbs-White was eventually called up after Nuno Espirito Santo’s team did not initially have any players selected.
However, that didn’t last long, as he was removed from the squad just hours before their match against Albania. Tuchel has also benched two other players. Aaron Ramsdale, the custodian for Southampton, and Jarell Quansah, a young player for Liverpool, were also removed from the team. The BBC broke the story first, revealing the final 23-man roster for the team against Albania, which omitted all three of the stars.
Morgan Gibbs-White, Jarell Quansah and Aaron Ramsdale left out of England squad to face Albania tonight. Follow all the build-up to Thomas Tuchel's first game in charge here: https://t.co/jASLVymdUC
— Sami Mokbel (@SamiMokbel_BBC) March 21, 2025
At first, Gibbs-White was merely included to the England squad as a last-minute Cole Palmer replacement. The 25-year-old was called in to replace the Chelsea player due to his recent fitness concerns, but his inclusion was short-lived. Rather, Jordan Henderson, Jude Bellingham, Eberechi Eze, Curtis Jones, Declan Rice, and Morgan Rogers will make up England’s midfield.
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