England head coach Thomas Tuchel has left Morgan Gibbs-White, Jarell Quansah and Aaron Ramsdale out of his matchday squad for Friday’s World Cup qualifier against Albania at Wembley.
Nottingham Forest midfielder Gibbs-White was not included by Tuchel’s original squad but was called up when Chelsea’s Cole Palmer pulled out.
Uefa rules state that a manager can only select 23 players in his squad for a fixture.
Tuchel selected 26 players for the games versus Albania and Latvia, meaning he had to cut three for each game.
Gibbs-White, Liverpool defender Quansah and Southampton goalkeeper Ramsdale are the three to have missed out for Tuchel’s first match in charge.
Harry Kane will captain the side, while Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice are expected to start in midfield.
Phil Foden, Morgan Rogers and Anthony Gordon are all pushing to play alongside Kane in attack.
‘England to line up with back four’ – analysis
Among the key aspects to watch out for on Friday night is which formation Tuchel selects.
It is my understanding the team have spent most of the week training with a back four, which could indicate the direction England are heading as they prepare for the game against Albania.
Tuchel has a history of using a back three – indeed it was his favoured approach during his time at Chelsea, where he won the Champions League.
But using this week’s training sessions as a guide, he appears likely to select a back four on Friday.
[BBC]