England Manager Tuchel Affirms No Problem with Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, or Jack Grealish
England's Head Coach Thomas Tuchel has declared that he has "no problem" with Phil Foden following the trio did not make the Three Lions squad for forthcoming matches against Wales and Latvia.
Bellingham did not earn a recall even after recovering from a shoulder issue, while Foden and Grealish are also absent although displaying improved form with their respective clubs.
The German manager revealed that Bellingham desired to be included of the squad, having spoken with him via telephone.
"Bellingham is a special player, and for special players there can often be exceptions," the coach remarked about the Real Madrid star, who's made just one start since returning to fitness.
"However we opted to stick with the simple choice of calling up the identical squad.
"Bellingham consistently merits to be here. There is the factor that he has not quite regained his optimal form yet at his club - he has not finished a full game.
"He wanted to be selected. We had a telephone conversation."
The England boss was keen to emphasize his positive relationship with the midfielder after he apologized to him earlier this year for describing his on-pitch behavior as "repulsive" in a televised interview.
The German explained that he uttered those terms "unintentionally" and promised to be more cautious in future.
Inquired if he had a problem with the player, he said: "None. There is no issue either with Foden or Grealish.
"Phil is returning to influencing and shaping games for Manchester City. Grealish is almost to returning to the best version of himself.
"There is no personal problem."
Saka taking the place of the hurt Madueke is the sole alteration to the previous squad, with Loftus-Cheek and Quansah keeping their spots after being late additions previously due to fitness concerns.
England face Wales in a non-competitive match at Wembley Stadium on Thursday before a World Cup qualifier in Riga on 14 October.
Should the team triumph in the away fixture, they will need a maximum of two points from their final two matches - against Albania and Serbia in November - to earn a spot in next summer's tournament in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
Strong Performance Under Tuchel
The Three Lions delivered their finest performance significantly under Tuchel's leadership when they beat Serbia 5-0 on the road in Belgrade in their previous match.
The coach stated that performance meant it an straightforward choice to stick with largely the same squad, though "there exist no certainties" for any player regarding selection.
"The last camp was only a few weeks ago and the cohesion and morale was at its peak. That is why we decided to invite the same group to this camp," he commented.
"Foden is in a very good moment. Adam Wharton merits to be with us. Curtis Jones and Trevoh Chalobah are earning playing time with their clubs.
"There are players who warrant to be here. Cole Palmer is injured and is a key talent. It will consistently remain like this.
"Is our team a better team with Jude? Absolutely. But I told you before, what do we do if Jude is injured before the tournament? Do we simply give up?"
The Manager's Media Briefing Gets Noticed
Thomas Tuchel once more gave a box office news conference.
Tuchel, a master of managing his relationship with the press, began with an initial remarks to explain his thinking for his selections.
Bellingham is ready to play and wanted to come to camp, but Tuchel explained he preferred not to alter the squad significantly after a impressive five-goal win over Serbia - where the manager said team spirit was extremely strong.
However with him not including Bellingham, and his frequent remarks about team spirit, it is difficult to avoid link the aspects - although Tuchel insisted repeatedly how he is "exceptional" and that there is "no problem" between Tuchel and one of the national team's star players.
The England manager has consistently made it clear that he aimed to make the national team feel like a club side and, by retaining the same squad after a big victory, he has done that. But the inquiries will arise once more in the next camp if England perform strongly in these next two matches.