Jude Bellingham & Cole Palmer World Cup warning! Thomas Tuchel prepared to leave most talented players out of England squad for 2026 tournament

Real Madrid ‘Galactico’ Bellingham was available for a friendly clash with Wales and World Cup qualification meeting with Latvia. He is, however, working his way back from summer shoulder surgery and no unnecessary risks will be taken at this stage. Palmer, meanwhile, is nursing a groin injury at Chelsea that has kept him out of action since mid-September.

Tuchel spoke with Bellingham before naming his latest squad, with the reasons for his exclusion being explained. The former Bayern Munich and Chelsea coach has now revealed that he is willing to snub any superstar that threatens collective harmony when England’s men’s team go in search of a first major international trophy since 1966.

Tuchel told reporters of his willingness to make controversial calls: “We are not collecting the most talented players, we are trying to build a team. Teams win trophies, no-one else.”

The German added when making it clear that nobody is being ruled out of contention: “That’s how it is in international football. But the thing you are playing [back to me] is not what I am saying. You are playing the game that says: ‘He [Tuchel] is saying the others who aren’t in the team, you cannot build a team with them’. It’s not like this. We built a team with the players who were available and they did so well so we go again with them. Nobody said we can’t do the same with them. Or even better, or maybe the same level, with the others.

“For this moment we stick with our choice and the radical statement is that we don’t collect the most talented players. We collect the guys who have the glue and cohesion to be the best team. Because we need to arrive as the best team. We will arrive as underdogs at the World Cup because we haven’t won it for decades and we will play against teams who have repeatedly won it during that time. So we have to arrive as a team or we will have no chance.”

Tuchel previously claimed that his mother finds some of Bellingham’s on-field behaviour “repulsive” - comments that he has since apologised for. The 22-year-old midfielder is expected to make England’s World Cup squad - fitness permitting - with Jordan Henderson among those to talk up the qualities possessed by one of the best in the business.

“The players know what Jude is like as a person and as a player. He is a world-class player and a world-class person, and he makes the England team, when he plays, even better because of the type of player that he is. The perception outside … they don’t know. Do you know what I mean? They are guessing. They are making things up, ultimately. From the outside, you can never listen to noise or media or things like that, because a lot of the time it can be untrue or it can be misinterpreted.

“Not specifically with Jude, but fans see a player on the pitch and take that for how they are off the pitch? He’s a bit stroppy or whatever. Maybe that’s why I get booed a lot! But they can be two different things, how they are on and off the pitch. A lot of the time, players on the pitch are totally different people to what you see on the pitch.

“He is very special, very special. We have a few special players in this squad, to be fair. But, with Jude, I think we all knew he was a very special player when he first came into the squad. The way he trains, the way he lives his life around football, loves the game, wants to improve and there is the ability that he has on the pitch. He is a world-class player and I know there will be a lot of stories and a lot of headlines, but for him, it is just about focusing on football.

“He has been injured for a good few months. I know what he is like, he will be focused on his football, focused on making sure that he is as fit as possible, so when he returns he is flying over the next few weeks.”

Bellingham has made five appearances for Real since recovering from an operation to fix a long-standing shoulder complaint. He is yet to complete a full 90 minutes, with England favouring alternative options as a result. They will be looking for others to provide inspiration when facing Wales at Wembley on Thursday - with captain Harry Kane being missing training with an ankle complaint - while the Three Lions are already well on course to book their tickets for next summer’s World Cup finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico.