England Manager Tuchel Insists No Problem with Bellingham, Foden, or Jack Grealish
England's Head Coach Thomas Tuchel asserted that he holds "no problem" with Phil Foden following these players were left out the England team for forthcoming matches against Wales and Latvia.
The midfielder did not earn a recall even after returning from a shoulder issue, whereas Foden and Grealish are also absent although displaying improved form with their respective clubs.
Tuchel mentioned that the 22-year-old desired to be part of the selection, after a conversation with him on the phone.
"Bellingham is a unique talent, and for exceptional talents there can often be special rules," Tuchel said about the Real Madrid star, who's only started once since returning to fitness.
"But we opted to maintain the simple decision of calling up the same group.
"Bellingham always deserves to be here. There is the factor that he has not quite found his full rhythm again at his club - he has not completed a full game.
"He wanted to be selected. We had a phone call."
Tuchel was keen to highlight his good rapport with the midfielder following he said sorry to him previously for calling his on-pitch behavior as "disgusting" in a televised interview.
The German stated that he uttered those terms "without meaning to" and promised to be more cautious in future.
Inquired if he had a problem with Bellingham, he responded: "None. There is also no problem with Foden or Jack Grealish.
"Foden is back to impacting and shaping games for his club. Jack is almost to being back to the top form of himself.
"There is no personal problem."
Bukayo Saka taking the place of the injured Madueke is the only change to last month's squad, with Loftus-Cheek and Quansah keeping their spots after being late additions previously due to injury.
The Three Lions face Wales in a friendly at Wembley Stadium on Thursday before a World Cup qualifier in Riga on October 14.
If England triumph in Latvia, they will require a up to two points from their remaining two qualifiers - against Serbia and Albania in November - to secure a spot in next summer's World Cup in North America.
Strong Performance By Tuchel
England produced their finest performance by some distance under Tuchel's leadership when they defeated Serbia five-nil away in Belgrade last time out.
Tuchel stated that showing meant it an straightforward choice to stick with mostly the identical group, though "there are no certainties" for any player regarding being picked.
"The last camp was only a few weeks ago and the teamwork and spirit was at its peak. That is the reason we chose to invite the identical players to this camp," he commented.
"Phil is in a excellent run of form. Wharton merits to be with us. Jones and Chalobah are earning minutes with their clubs.
"We have players who deserve to be here. Palmer is unfit and is a special player. It will always be like this.
"Is our team a stronger side with Bellingham? Absolutely. But I mentioned before, what do we do if he is unavailable before the World Cup? Do we simply give up?"
The Manager's Media Briefing Draws Attention
The England manager again delivered a headline-grabbing press briefing.
Tuchel, a master of managing his relationship with the media, began with an initial remarks to explain his thinking for his decisions.
The midfielder is ready to play and expressed interest to come to camp, but Tuchel has said he preferred not to change the team too much after a statement five-goal victory over their opponents - where the boss said team spirit was extremely strong.
However with Tuchel not including Bellingham, and his repeated comments about togetherness, it is difficult to avoid connect the aspects - although Tuchel said multiple times how Bellingham is "exceptional" and that there is "no issue" between him and one of England's star players.
Tuchel has consistently made it clear that he aimed to make the England squad feel like a club side and, by keeping the same squad after a big victory, he has done that. But the questions will arise once more in the next camp if England win well in these next two matches.