Bellingham and Foden Back in England Squad
England head coach Thomas Tuchel recalled Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham and Manchester City’s Phil Foden when naming his squad on Friday for next week’s World Cup qualifiers at home to Serbia and away against Albania.
Both players missed out last time as England sealed their passage to next year’s finals in North America with two games to spare following a 5-0 victory over Latvia.
There was no place once again for Everton winger Jack Grealish despite his impressive start to the season and Tuchel also overlooked Brighton & Hove Albion’s veteran striker Danny Welbeck who has scored six Premier League goals this season.
In all, Tuchel has made six changes to his last squad in October with Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly and Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins the most notable absentees.
There was a first call-up for Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott, while Manchester City full back Nico O’Reilly, who replaced the injured Reece James in the last squad, retains his place. Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton also returns.
The 22-year-old Bellingham’s absence from the last squad was a major talking point as Tuchel said he wanted to reward the players who had impressed him in qualifying wins against Andorra and Serbia in September.
Bellingham struggled with injuries at the start of the campaign and was only just back from a shoulder problem when Tuchel named his last squad. He has scored three goals in his last four appearances for Real Madrid though.
Foden has also returned to form with Manchester City after struggling last season and scored twice in the Champions League win against Borussia Dortmund this week.
