England manager Thomas Tuchel has explained why Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ollie Watkins have been left out of his latest squad for the upcoming friendlies against Uruguay and Japan.
Alexander-Arnold, 27, has not been called up by Tuchel since he took charge at the start of 2025. The Real Madrid man has had an injury-disrupted debut season at the Bernabeu, though he has been fit since February and has made nine appearances. His last England outing was a substitute appearance in a 1-0 win over Andorra in the summer of 2025.
Tuchel said he knows exactly what Alexander-Arnold can offer but has chosen to stick with the players who impressed during England’s strong run of form in the autumn. He pointed to Quansah, Livramento and Spence as the right-back options he wants to keep faith with for now.
Watkins has also been left out after a lean spell in front of goal, managing just three goals in 16 appearances since the start of 2026. Tuchel said he wants to take a closer look at Dominic Solanke and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, admitting he feels he already has a very clear picture of what Watkins can bring to the team.
Tuchel acknowledged both decisions were difficult ones, describing Alexander-Arnold as a huge talent with a big career, but insisted they were purely sporting calls with the World Cup in mind.
