Thomas Tuchel announces first England squad as several surprise picks leave fans stunned

Tuchel has named his first England squad.

Thomas Tuchel has announced his first England squad for upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia – and several surprise names have been included.

The Three Lions kick off their qualification campaign by facing Albania on March 23, before taking on Latvia at March 26. Both fixtures will be held at Wembley.

Tuchel signed an 18-month contract to become England manager in October, before officially taking the role on January 1. He has now named his first squad selection, consisting of 26 players.

The squad is no doubt headlined by the recall of Ajax midfielder Jordan Henderson, who has been preferred to the likes of Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White and Elliot Anderson.

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The 34-year-old hasn’t played for England in over a year, and his international career appeared to be over after he was left out of the Euro 2024 squad by Gareth Southgate.

As reported on Friday morning by The Athletic, Aston Villa’s Marcus Rashford has been recalled to the squad – almost a year since his last cap in a friendly match against Brazil.

Rashford last played for England in a friendly against Brazil in March 2024 (Image: Getty)

His club team-mate Morgan Rogers is also included for the first time, while Newcastle’s Dan Burn also receives a maiden call-up.

Another new face to the squad is Arsenal wonderkid Myles Lewis-Skelly, who has been fast-tracked into the first team setup after an impressive season with the Gunners.

Kyle Walker, on loan at AC Milan from Manchester City, retains his place from November’s Nations League squad in what may be considered as a surprise choice, alongside Liverpool’s Jarell Quansah.

Jack Grealish has been left out, however, while Ben White has also not been included.

The Arsenal defender made himself unavailable for previous squads before then holding talks with Tuchel, but that absence appears to have done little to help him to return to the fold.