The first England squad under Thomas Tuchel has been announced ahead of World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia. We’ve looked at four players who’ll be disappointed to miss out.
The big news for the latest England squad is the return of Marcus Rashford and Jordan Henderson. The pair had missed out in recent squads but have rediscovered their form for Aston Villa and Ajax respectively.
The other noticeable names are Myles Lewis-Skelly and Dan Burn. Left-back has been a cause for concern for some time for England. Lewis Hall’s form seems to put him in the number-one spot, but his recent injury has kept him out.
There are some noticeable exclusions. We’ve picked out four players who’ll be disappointed they missed out on the latest England squad.
Morgan Gibbs-WhiteÂ
Given the fantastic season Nottingham Forest are having, it’s remarkable none of their English stars have made it into the England squad.
The first of two Forest players we’ve named is Morgan Gibbs-White. The attacking midfielder is the catalyst for most things positive at the City Ground.
Gibbs-White has received an average Sofascore rating of 7.27 for his performances in the Premier League. This is the highest in the Forest squad and his statistics show why.
The former Wolverhampton Wanderers player is in the top three for the majority of Forest’s attacking statistics. He’s second on both the scoring and assists charts for Nottingham Forest with five goals and six assists. The midfielder is also second in both the total shots per game (1.8) and shots on target per game (0.7).
Gibbs-White is second for big chances created with seven and joint top for key passes per game with 1.6.
The only issue for Gibbs-White is the position he plays. He’s competing with the likes of Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden, and even though the latter isn’t his usual self at the minute, they’re both world-class players.
Callum Hudson-Odoi
Sticking with Nottingham Forest and their impressive winger, Callum Hudson-Odoi. Like Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi has been impressive for Forest going forward this season.Â
The former Chelsea winger is third for Forest in the average Sofascore rating with a rating of 7.2.
As with Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi is listed in the top three for many statistics this season for Forest. The winger has scored five goals, putting him joint second with MGW.
Hudson-Odoi also ranks third for shots per game (1.4) and shots on target per game (0.6), as well as being joint top for key passes per game with 1.6.
His admission from the side is an interesting one. Rashford has been far from his best and despite recovering some form at Villa, he’s not having the same season Hudson-Odoi is.Â
It will be intriguing moving forward to see how Tuchel goes about filling the left-wing slot. Anthony Gordon is likely the first choice, but who should be challenging him?
Djed SpenceÂ
Djed Spence has enjoyed a good run in the Tottenham Hotspur side. Some Tottenham fans have suggested he’s been the bright light in a poor season.Â
Despite being a right-back, he’s played at left-back this season. He’s received an average Sofascore rating of 7.09 for his 15 Premier League appearances.
Defensively, he’s performed well. Spence has had 0.8 interceptions per game, 2.0 tackles per game, 3.6 balls recovered per game, and completed 1.7 clearances per game. Impressively, he’s only been dribbled past 0.3 times on average per game.
With likely first-choice Hall out, Spence might have thought he was in with a chance of making the England squad. Tuchel went for Burn and Lewis-Skelly instead.
Spence shouldn’t be disheartened, though. The left-back spot is still very much up for grabs and if he can continue to improve, he should get his chance in an England shirt.Â
Jarrad Branthwaite
Jarrad Branthwaite missed out on the England squad last summer for the Euros, despite making the initial squad. This season, he and James Tarkowski have made a formidable pairing for Everton.
Branthwaite’s received an average Sofascore rating of 7.03 this season. His defensive numbers have been solid as well. He’s had 1.1 interceptions per game, 1.4 tackles per game, and 6.2 clearances per game.
At only 22, he’s got plenty of time to make himself a regular in the England set-up. He’ll likely benefit from the fact he’s left-footed. Managers are always on the lookout for a left-footed centre half, especially if they want to play out from the back.
An honourable mention here to Tarkowski as well. The 32-year-old has been crucial to Everton this season and has every right to be disappointed at missing out.
Full England squad
Goalkeepers:Â Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Southampton), James Trafford (Burnley)
Defenders:Â Dan Burn (Newcastle United), Levi Colwill (Chelsea), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Reece James (Chelsea), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), Jarell Quansah (Liverpool), Kyle Walker (AC Milan, loan from Manchester City)
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Jordan Henderson (Ajax), Curtis Jones (Liverpool), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)
Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Marcus Rashford (Aston Villa, loan from Manchester United), Dominic Solanke (Tottenham Hotspur).
