England Manager Tuchel Insists No Problem with Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, or Jack Grealish
England's Head Coach Thomas Tuchel stated that he has "no issue" with Jude Bellingham after the trio were left out the Three Lions team for upcoming fixtures against Latvia and Wales.
Bellingham did not earn a recall despite returning from a shoulder injury, while Foden and Grealish are also absent although displaying a return to form with their respective clubs.
Tuchel mentioned that the 22-year-old wanted to be included of the squad, having spoken with him on the phone.
"Bellingham is a special player, and for exceptional talents there can always be exceptions," the coach said regarding Bellingham, who has only started once since coming back to full health.
"However we decided to maintain the straightforward choice of inviting the identical squad.
"Jude consistently merits to be here. There is the factor that he has not fully regained his full rhythm again at Real Madrid - he has not finished a full match.
"He expressed a desire to be selected. We conducted a phone call."
The England boss was keen to highlight his good rapport with Bellingham following he said sorry to him previously for calling his conduct during a match as "repulsive" in a televised interview.
The German stated that he used the words "without meaning to" and would be more careful in future.
Inquired if he had a problem with the player, Tuchel responded: "None. There is also no problem with Phil Foden or Grealish.
"Foden is back to influencing and shaping games for Manchester City. Grealish is almost to returning to the top form of himself.
"There exists no personal issue."
Bukayo Saka taking the place of the hurt Madueke is the sole alteration to the previous squad, with Loftus-Cheek and Jarell Quansah keeping their spots after being late additions last month due to fitness concerns.
The Three Lions play Wales in a friendly at Wembley on this Thursday before a qualifying match in Riga on October 14.
Should the team triumph in Latvia, they will require a maximum of two more points from their remaining two matches - against Serbia and Albania in next month - to earn a spot in next summer's tournament in North America.
Impressive Display By the Manager
England delivered their finest performance by some distance under the manager's guidance when they defeated the Serbian team 5-0 away in the Serbian capital last time out.
The coach stated that performance meant it an straightforward choice to keep largely the same squad, though "there exist no certainties" for any player regarding selection.
"The last camp was only three and a half weeks ago and the teamwork and spirit was on the highest level. That is why we chose to call up the same group to this camp," he commented.
"Foden is in a very good moment. Wharton deserves to be with us. Curtis Jones and Trevoh Chalobah are earning minutes with their teams.
"We have players who warrant to be here. Palmer is injured and is a key talent. It will consistently remain like this.
"Is our team a stronger side with Bellingham? Yes. But I mentioned before, what do we do if Jude is unavailable before the World Cup? Do we simply give up?"
The Manager's Media Briefing Gets Noticed
Thomas Tuchel again gave a box office press briefing.
Tuchel, a master of managing his relationship with the press, started with an initial remarks to explain his thinking for his selections.
Bellingham is fit and available and expressed interest to come to camp, but the coach explained he preferred not to change the team significantly after a statement five-goal victory over their opponents - where the manager noted team spirit was at an all-time high.
However with him not including the star, and his frequent remarks about togetherness, it is difficult to avoid connect the aspects - although Tuchel said repeatedly how he is "exceptional" and that there is "no issue" between him and one of the national team's key talents.
The England manager has consistently made it clear that he wanted to make the national team feel like a club team and, by keeping the same squad after a statement win, he has achieved that. But the questions will arise once more in the next camp if England perform strongly in these next two matches.