England squad selection Thomas Tuchel Cole Palmer, Digi Mart USA News: England have made medical checks on Cole Palmer as Thomas Tuchel considers whether to select the Chelsea forward in his next squad. The 24-year-old missed all four games during the previous international window with a minor injury.
He completed 90 minutes for Chelsea against Brentford before those matches, and started for the Blues in the first game afterwards. Tuchel, who names his squad to face Croatia and Spain on Friday, said at the time that Palmer was “playing with discomfort and pain” but was “missing too many opportunities” with England.
Whether Palmer is recalled will be a key theme on Friday. While it is normal for England medical staff to check on players under consideration, it also underlines that Palmer remains on Tuchel’s radar despite his stark comments in September.
In addition to deciding whether to select Palmer, Tuchel has a number of other dilemmas to resolve. Bukayo Saka’s injury absence opens the door to another attacker, with his Arsenal team-mate Noni Madueke pushing for a recall following a string of impressive performances.
Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has not played since mid-October and is not fit for selection, while Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah is a major injury doubt. Defenders Ben White and Djed Spence are pushing for recalls after missing out on the previous squad through injury.
The likes of Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice and many others are now stonewall selections, but the intrigue is around the remaining few spots still seemingly up for grabs. Will some old faces earn a recall or will there be new faces soon pulling on the England shirt?
BBC Sport runs down some of the potential candidates for selection.
The 19-year-old Fulham midfielder has already been close to a senior England debut. King travelled to the United States as part of the preparation squad before the World Cup, along with Alex Scott, Ethan Nwaneri and Rio Ngumoha.
Scott and Ngumoha have already made their debuts for the senior side, and Nwaneri is currently on loan at Borussia Dortmund.
Tuchel said in his last news conference that King is close to a senior call-up, and the midfielder has impressed for England Under-21s too. The biggest challenge for King will be finding a chance to shine in his favoured number 10 position, with Bellingham being England’s best midfielder and the position being one of real strength for the Three Lions.
There is a lack of number nines in the English game, and the job of being Harry Kane’s understudy is harder than it sounds. The England captain has just won the Ballon d’Or, likes to play almost every minute for his country, and is the captain, record goalscorer and arguably the best player in Tuchel’s side.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been selected in the squads before and since the World Cup but, despite doing well for Leeds, it has not quite clicked for him under Tuchel, and he was given just 15 minutes in two substitute appearances in the last window. Tuchel has started to use Bellingham as the back-up to Kane, but he could opt for more of a prospect in his squad in this shorter window and turn to Will Lankshear.
The 21-year-old striker, who like Kane started at Tottenham, was sold to Middlesbrough this summer for £20m and has scored 15 goals in all competitions so far this campaign. He has scored 13 goals in as many games in the Championship, helping Middlesbrough to the top of the division.
He only made his debut for the England Under-21s during the last international window and scored in that game, so it would be quite a rise for a player who is not in the Premier League. Tuchel is aware of Lankshear, and with a lack of number nines across the age groups it could be an interesting option for a manager who is not afraid of making big calls.
He missed Middlesbrough’s loss to Wrexham on Wednesday with a tweaked hamstring but could return in time for Saturday.
The Everton number 10 has turned down call-ups from the Republic of Ireland as he focuses on his dream of representing the Three Lions. He has been one of the Toffees’ standout performers, having scored two goals and registered two assists in all competitions, helping Everton to seventh in the league.
Dewsbury-Hall, 28, is a clever technician with an eye for a pass, and his ability on the ball would likely suit international football. But team-mate James Garner, whom Tuchel called a mini-Valverde, was called up before Dewsbury-Hall when there were dropouts in the last international break, with that showing he may have more to do to get on Tuchel’s radar.
Gibbs-White was probably the unluckiest player to be left out of the initial squad last time around when Tuchel got his players together in September. But the Nottingham Forest midfielder was called up as a late replacement after a number of high-profile pull-outs and left a family holiday to join up with the Three Lions squad.
Tuchel values that kind of dedication and referenced the willingness of Gibbs-White, 26, to join up. The Forest captain featured in every game of the last break although he did not start a game.
But with Forest struggling at the bottom end of the Premier League table, and competing against the likes of Bellingham, Phil Foden, Palmer and Eberechi Eze, the midfielder could miss out again.
White has been unlucky since he ended his international hiatus to return in March. The Arsenal defender missed the World Cup with a knee injury that also forced him to miss the Champions League final.
White then missed the first England squad of this campaign with injury, with Tuchel saying the 29-year-old would have been called up if he had been fit, citing his partnership with Saka as potentially good for the Three Lions.
White has been available for all but one of Arsenal’s games this season and would add a quality defensive option at right-back if selected, especially with Reece James missing through injury. Henderson has not been in the England set-up since the World Cup, where he fell over an advertising hoarding following the win over Mexico at the Azteca Stadium and broke his arm.
Many would have thought the 36-year-old’s international career was over, but Henderson, then at Brentford, made a move to Chelsea as they looked to add experience to their young squad. After recovering from the arm injury, Henderson has surprised some by becoming an important part of the Chelsea midfield, starting five games in a row and scoring twice in a win over Bournemouth, before he missed the Blues’ win over Manchester United with injury.
Henderson is a popular figure, respected by staff and players, and is again performing at the top level.
