'People will take your role!' - Morgan Rogers lays down England challenge after scoring first Three Lions goal as Jude Bellingham & Cole Palmer miss out

Tuchel has made it clear, in an ongoing countdown to the 2026 World Cup, that nobody can take places in his plans for granted. That includes ‘Galactico’ Bellingham and Chelsea talisman Cole Palmer - another of those to miss out this time around through injury. The absence of certain individuals is giving others a chance to stake their claim for a regular role.

Rogers was handed a starting berth against Wales at Wembley and opened his senior international goal account inside three minutes of a friendly contest that was always going to have an edge as two geographical neighbours locked horns. He also hit the crossbar in the second half before being substituted to a standing ovation.

Rogers told ITV afterwards when asked where a goal for England ranks in his career: "Right at the top. It's a proud moment to do it at home too in a home nation derby. A dream come true. The quality of players we have with people here and not here, you can never be too comfortable, or else people will take your role."

He went on to tell BBC Radio 5 Live: "Not a bad night for sure. It's a different team but it's the same idea. It's the same mindset. It's the same thought and the same way we want to play. The players that come in, the players that don't come in, we all know what we are doing and we are feeding off each other and it's a lovely place to be. It's a lovely environment and it's very nice to play for this team."

Rogers endured a tough start to the 2025-26 campaign, being jeered by his own supporters at one stage, but opened his goal contribution account when assisting Emiliano Buendia in a 3-1 victory over Fulham and has since teed up Donyell Malen for an effort against Burnley.

He completed 19 of his 24 passes against Wales, creating two chances alongside his goal, with Tuchel - who pointed out ahead of the game that he is "building a team" and "not collecting the most talented players" - left suitably impressed. England’s German tactician said: "Morgan is what he is. He is a number 10 and he is competing for his place. He is in a good way. We are ready for any team effort. Serbia was the next example of teamwork. We created a lot of chances. We could use Harry Kane all the time, but we need to play without Harry and Jude - the guys are injured."

Tuchel now faces a welcome selection headache, with former England defender Stephen Warnock telling 5 Live of seeing the likes of Bellingham, Palmer, Reece James, Jack Grealish and Phil Foden miss out: "Tuchel has been vindicated. The players named could start a match for England, but he has got big decisions to make.

"His job isn't to make players happy. His job is to come in and win a World Cup for England. That is the difficult job he has got to do. The difficult part is you're going to upset people. You're going to get people in the press asking about your decisions. So far, the big decisions he has made have paid off, and it is looking in really good shape for England so far."

Warnock added: "At the moment it looks fantastic and they might be able to continue that against the best teams in the world. There will come a point when you need a Jude Bellingham, a Cole Palmer, to perhaps have an influence on the game. The great thing is, we've got the players."

England will be back in action on Tuesday when travelling to Latvia for their latest World Cup qualifier. If results go their way, that contest could see tickets booked to next summer’s finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico.