England manager Thomas Tuchel has finalized his selection for the upcoming November Nations League fixtures, notably leaving out Chelsea forward Cole Palmer. The decision highlights Tuchel’s current tactical preferences as England prepares to face Croatia at Wembley on 12 November, followed by an away test against Spain in Madrid on 15 November. I guess everyone is desperate to play for England and Cole is no exception. The Premier League champions believe the 25-year-old will be absent for six weeks after he was substituted early in the Champions League game against Bayern Munich. Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott is also not selected after picking up an injury against Croatia in October. Who made his England debut in the first international break of the season and was described as “the complete package” by Tuchel, is reportedly in contention to return for the Cherries against Ipswich on Sunday, the 23-year-old.
Tuchel on Palmer’s Absence
Explaining the exclusion, Tuchel stated that the 24-year-old “misses too many chances to impress” when he is present with the national team.
Palmer, who previously withdrew from the squad during the early autumn international window, finds himself absent once again.
According to Tuchel, the priority remains maintaining consistency with players who performed well during the previous two-and-a-half-week training camp. According to we have enough number 10s and we stick to the guys who were in the previous camp because we were happy with the two and a half weeks we had together,”, Tuchel.
The manager emphasized that his selection process is heavily weighted toward a player’s behavior and performance while inside the camp environment, noting that he currently has a surplus of creative options in the number 10 role. He is kind of an extra player and he can play all four positions.
New Faces and Emerging Talent
In a move to diversify the squad’s tactical flexibility, Tuchel has granted maiden call-ups to Fulham’s Josh King and Borussia Dortmund’s Jobe Bellingham. But I want to see him on both wings, we have Josh King as a new player in there. And Tuchel called him “a fantastic character” who “gives us a bit of flexibility”, the 19-year-old Fulham academy graduate has scored one goal in nine appearances for England Under-21s. If you will,” Tuchel added, we decided to nominate 22 outfield players for flexibility in training and he is the extra player in training.
The addition of 21-year-old Jobe Bellingham is particularly noteworthy, as he joins his older brother, Jude, in the senior setup.
Should both feature, they would mark the first set of siblings to play for England simultaneously since the tenure of Gary and Phil Neville. The brothers were regular selections in England youth line-ups, both graduates of the Birmingham City academy. He is a regular starter there and now very influential.
Squad Details
Goalkeepers
- Jordan Pickford: Everton
- Jason Steele: Brighton & Hove Albion
- James Trafford: Leeds United
Defenders
- Trent Alexander-Arnold: Real Madrid
- Jarrad Branthwaite: Everton
- Marc Guehi: Manchester City
- Lewis Hall: Newcastle United
- Ezri Konsa: Arsenal
- Jarell Quansah: Bayer Leverkusen
- Djed Spence: Inter Milan
- Ben White: Arsenal
Midfielders
- Elliot Anderson: Manchester City
- Jobe Bellingham: Borussia Dortmund
- Jude Bellingham: Real Madrid
- James Garner: Everton
- Josh King: Fulham
- Myles Lewis-Skelly: Arsenal
- Declan Rice: Arsenal
Forwards
- Dominic Calvert-Lewin: Leeds United
- Eberechi Eze: Arsenal
- Morgan Gibbs-White: Nottingham Forest
- Anthony Gordon: Barcelona
- Harry Kane: Bayern Munich
- Rio Ngumoha: Liverpool
- Morgan Rogers: Chelsea
Context on Jobe Bellingham
The progression of Jobe Bellingham follows a trajectory similar to that of his brother Jude, who spent three years at Dortmund before moving to Real Madrid. The move mirrored one made by Jude, 23, who played for the German side between 2020 and 2023 before signing for Real Madrid. Where he has had an excellent start to the season, he found his way and his rhythm with Dortmund.
Jobe completed a transfer to the German club from Sunderland in the summer of 2025, a deal valued at approximately £31 million. Tuchel confirmed that England Under-21 coach Lee Carsley has provided positive evaluations of the midfielder’s development for some time. Having helped the Wearside club win promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs, jobe joined Dortmund from Sunderland in summer 2025 in a deal worth up to £31m. He is the captain of the under-21s so I think the door should always be open and the pathway should always be open for special performances over a long period of time and that is what Jobe has done,” he added.
Nations League Standing
England currently holds second place in group A3, trailing Spain. With a record of three victories and one defeat, the squad needs only one additional point from their remaining two matches to guarantee a spot in the two-legged quarter-finals scheduled for next March.
Injuries and Absentees
The squad list also reflects several forced absences due to ongoing fitness issues. Notably, Newcastle’s Tino Livramento and Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford were not considered due to knee and hip concerns, respectively. Additionally, Trevoh Chalobah of Como remains sidelined, while Rico Lewis and Nico O’Reilly of Manchester City were omitted from the final selection.
