England Manager Tuchel States No Issue with Bellingham, Foden, or Jack Grealish
Thomas Tuchel has declared that he has "no conflict" with Jude Bellingham following these players did not make the England squad for forthcoming fixtures against Latvia and Wales.
The midfielder did not earn a recall even after recovering from a shoulder injury, whereas the Manchester City and Everton players also miss out despite displaying a return to form with their clubs.
The German manager mentioned that Bellingham desired to be included of the selection, having spoken with him via telephone.
"He is a unique talent, and for exceptional talents there can often be exceptions," Tuchel said about the Real Madrid star, who has made just one start since returning to fitness.
"However we opted to maintain the straightforward choice of calling up the identical squad.
"Jude always deserves to be here. There is the factor that he has not fully regained his optimal form again at Real Madrid - he has not finished a full game.
"He expressed a desire to be selected. We conducted a telephone conversation."
Tuchel was keen to emphasize his positive relationship with the midfielder after he said sorry to him previously for describing his on-pitch behavior as "repulsive" in a televised interview.
The German stated that he used the words "unintentionally" and promised to be more cautious in future.
Inquired if he had a problem with the player, he said: "No. There is no issue either with Phil Foden or Jack Grealish.
"Foden is returning to influencing and shaping games for his club. Jack is very close to returning to the top form of himself.
"There exists no personal issue."
Saka replacing the hurt Noni Madueke is the only change to last month's team, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Jarell Quansah retaining their places after joining as late additions last month due to injury.
The Three Lions face Wales in a friendly at Wembley on this Thursday before a World Cup qualifier in Riga on October 14.
If the team win in Latvia, they will need a maximum of two points from their final two qualifiers - against Serbia and Albania in next month - to secure a spot in next summer's World Cup in North America.
Strong Performance By Tuchel
England produced their finest performance significantly under Tuchel's leadership when they defeated the Serbian team 5-0 on the road in the Serbian capital in their previous match.
Tuchel says that performance meant it an easy decision to keep largely the identical group, though "there are absolutely no guarantees" for every squad member regarding being picked.
"The last camp was only a few weeks ago and the teamwork and spirit was on the highest level. That is why we chose to call up the identical players to this camp," he commented.
"Foden is in a excellent run of form. Wharton deserves to be with us. Curtis Jones and Trevoh Chalobah are getting playing time with their teams.
"We have players who deserve to be here. Palmer is injured and is a special player. It will always be the case.
"Is our team a better team with Jude? Yes. But I mentioned before, what do we do if Jude is unavailable before the tournament? Do we simply give up?"
The Manager's Media Briefing Gets Noticed
Thomas Tuchel again delivered a box office news conference.
Tuchel, a master of managing his interactions with the press, began with an initial remarks to explain his thinking for his decisions.
Bellingham is ready to play and wanted to join to camp, but the coach explained he did not want to change the team significantly after a statement five-goal victory over their opponents - where the manager noted team spirit was extremely strong.
However with him not selecting Bellingham, and his frequent remarks about team spirit, it is difficult to avoid connect the two - although he said repeatedly how Bellingham is "exceptional" and that there is "no issue" between Tuchel and one of the national team's star players.
Tuchel has consistently made it clear that he aimed to make the England squad feel like a club side and, by retaining the same squad after a big victory, he has done that. But the questions will arise once more in the next camp if the team perform strongly in these next two matches.