Thomas Tuchel has not spoken to Trent Alexander-Arnold and makes three-word admission over England future

Thomas Tuchel says he hasn’t spoken to Trent Alexander-Arnold after omitting the Real Madrid star from his latest England squad.

Alexander-Arnold was left out of the bumper 35-man squad for the upcoming internationals against Uruguay and Japan in the Three Lions’ last camp before the World Cup.

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He joins Ollie Watkins and Luke Shaw as the notable names to be excluded from the squad.

Alexander-Arnold has not featured for England since a World Cup qualifier against Andorra last June.

He was overlooked by Tuchel for the last three England squads and his most recent omission puts his participation at the World Cup in jeopardy.

Tuchel had previously lauded Alexander-Arnold’s attacking qualities but stressed the importance of the right-back ‘taking the defensive part very, very seriously.’

After announcing his latest squad, Tuchel was asked if he had spoken to Alexander-Arnold and told talkSPORT: “Not yet.”

Further probed on whether Alexander-Arnold thinks his England career could be over, the Three Lions boss added: “I don’t know.”

Alexander-Arnold played one game at the 2018 World Cup and once in 2022 – for a combined 33 minutes.

Discussing the omissions of Watkins, Alexander-Arnold and Shaw, talkSPORT’s England correspondent Faye Carruthers asked if they are so far down the pecking order their World Cup is over.

Tuchel said: “No they’re not. In every case it’s individual and they know that they’re on the long list and they know that whoever is on the long list has a chance to come to the World Cup.

“This is not a pre-decision, this is just a decision now for this camp. The competition for their positions is on.

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“They’re different profiles, there are different reasons why we take and stick with other players. I know that it’s tough decisions, I know that it’s prominent names, I know they’re full of talent.

“But I also feel that I know what they can give us. I saw them in tournaments for England, I saw them with us in camp.

“The exception is Luke, he was not in camp. Of course he’s upset and of course he feels that it’s slightly unfair and maybe it is.

“But it comes with the job, I have to make some decisions.

“I still feel that I know what Luke could give us and I still made the decision to stick with Nico O’Reilly, Djed Spence and Tino Livramento, who deserve to be in camp because of September, October, November.”

There was better news for Harry Maguire and Kobbie Mainoo who both earned recalls for the March fixtures.

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Both players have enjoyed a renaissance since Michael Carrick took over as interim Manchester United boss in January and Tuchel admits the change in management has brought the best out in both players.

“Manchester United have had an outstanding run since Michael Carrick took charge, and Harry and Kobbie have been a big part of that,” Tuchel said.

“As I said, this is the last camp before the trip to the US, so it’s also my final chance to get to know new players, to learn about them, and see how they fit in.

“Harry isn’t a new player in an England shirt, of course, but he’s new to me in this camp.

“I want to observe how he interacts with other players, see him on the pitch, understand what he’s capable of, and gather enough insight to make clear decisions.”

England squad in full

Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson, Jordan Pickford, Aaron Ramsdale, Jason Steele, James Trafford

Defenders: Dan Burn, Marc Guehi, Lewis Hall, Ezri Konsa, Tino Livramento, Harry Maguire, Nico O’Reilly, Jarrell Quansah, Djed Spence, John Stones, Fikayo Tomori

Midfielders: Elliot Anderson, Jude Bellingham, James Garner, Jordan Henderson, Kobbie Mainoo, Declan Rice, Morgan Rogers, Adam Wharton

Forwards: Jarrod Bowen, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Eberechi Eze, Phil Foden, Anthony Gordon, Harry Kane, Noni Madueke, Cole Palmer, Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka, Dominic Solanke