Bellingham's omission not personal, says England boss Tuchel
Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish were all left out of England's squad, though Thomas Tuchel says there are no problems.
Thomas Tuchel insists there is no problem or personal issue with Jude Bellingham after his omission from England's squad.
England host Wales in an international friendly on Thursday before visiting Latvia in their 2026 World Cup qualifying group.
Bellingham will play no part after being left out of the squad that Tuchel named on Friday.
The Real Madrid midfielder missed wins over Andorra and Serbia in September after shoulder surgery, and has since started just one of four games for Xabi Alonso's side.
"He's a very special player, and for special players, there can be special rules, I get this," Tuchel said of Bellingham.
"But for this camp, we decided that we stick with our straightforward decision to invite the same team. That applies also to Jude; he deserves to always be in camp.
"I think on top of it, there's the situation that he has not fully gathered rhythm yet at Real Madrid. He's back in the team, he hasn't finished one full match until now, he has only started one match."
Bellingham had expressed his desire to play in this month's internationals, with Tuchel insistent the pair are on the same page.
"He wanted to be called up. We had a phone call; there was no issue from that side," the German added.
Phil Foden was another notable omission, as well as Jack Grealish, whose impressive form on loan at Everton was not rewarded with a call-up.
"No, there is also no problem between me and Phil Foden, there is also no problem between me and Jack Grealish. Very special players," Tuchel continued.
"There is no problem at all, there is no personal problem. Keep on pushing.
"It is a decision for this camp. It was the best camp in terms of team spirit and teamwork. This was the best camp so far. We decided to invite the same group of players to make what we built more stable."
Foden had started to hit his stride with two goals and two assists in seven appearances for Manchester City this season.
While City boss Pep Guardiola says Tuchel knows what England requires best, the Spaniard backed Foden to soon prove his worth.
"Thomas [Tuchel] knows what he needs for the national team a thousand million times better than me," Guardiola said. "All I can say is that if Phil is still playing like he is playing, he will be back.
"I am happy when players go to the national team, but I am even happier when they come back healthy, that's for sure."
