Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden were recalled Friday by England coach Thomas Tuchel for the team’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Serbia and Albania.
The attacking midfielders — two of the country’s most talented players — were left out of England’s last squad, with Tuchel stressing the need to have a strong team spirit in the camp and warning there would be “no guarantees” for his superstar players.
Bellingham has started all five of Real Madrid’s games since the last international break, scoring in three of them, and looks to be fully recovered after missing the start of the season because of shoulder surgery.
Foden is back to his best form with Manchester City, too, scoring twice against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Wednesday.
“I think the contribution of both of them to their clubs lately was immense,” Tuchel said. “They play regularly, they play a big role in the success of Real and City’s matches lately. They score regularly decisive goals. We are delighted they are in shape, in form and back with us.”
England has already qualified for the World Cup, with a 5-0 victory over Latvia in October guaranteeing Tuchel’s team first place in its group and taking its qualifying record to six wins from six matches.
The campaign has also included a 5-0 win in Serbia, a statement performance under Tuchel when Bellingham and Foden were absent and Morgan Rogers played in the No. 10 position.
Tuchel explained that if England hadn’t yet qualified, he would pick the same team as he chose last month — an indication that Bellingham and Foden still have work to do to recover their places in the starting XI.
“It’s the same headline — more of the same please and build on what we have already built,” Tuchel said. “Come with the same energy.
“We would have selected the same team if we needed both games to win. If it was a playoff to qualify for the World Cup, I would have selected the same team.”
There was a first call-up for Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott and a recall for Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton, while there was no place for Madrid right back Trent Alexander-Arnold or Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins.
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