England manager Thomas Tuchel has defended his decision to exclude Chelsea forward Cole Palmer from the squad for November’s international fixtures, citing his limited opportunities to prove himself.
The 24-year-old has now missed two consecutive selections, with England preparing to face Croatia at Wembley on November 12 and Spain in Madrid three days later.
Tuchel has instead included Fulham midfielder Josh King and Borussia Dortmund’s Jobe Bellingham for their first senior international call-ups.
According to BBC Sport, the manager said he was impressed with the previous squad and preferred to retain the players who featured in the last international camp.
“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 said.
He added that King would offer versatility across England’s attacking positions, with plans to assess his ability on both wings.
“We have Josh King as a new player in there, but I want to see him on both wings. He is kind of an extra player and he can play all four positions,” he stated.
