England coach Thomas Tuchel has left Trent Alexander-Arnold out of his 24-man squad for next month’s World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia, while handing maiden senior call-ups to Elliot Anderson and Djed Spence.
Alexander-Arnold, who joined Real Madrid on a free transfer from Liverpool this summer, featured in England’s last squad at the end of last season. However, he has struggled for minutes at Madrid, with Dani Carvajal preferred in their recent La Liga win over Real Oviedo.
Tuchel has turned instead to youth, rewarding Nottingham Forest midfielder Anderson and Tottenham full-back Spence with their first senior invitations. Anderson impressed during England’s Under-21 European Championship triumph in the summer, while Spence steps in at right-back following Alexander-Arnold’s omission.
“Elliot Anderson brings physicality, intensity, and very clean passing. He had a fantastic season at Nottingham Forest, and we are excited to see what he can bring,” Tuchel said.
The squad also sees Marcus Rashford return after recovering from injury. The forward, currently on loan at Barcelona from Manchester United, missed the June internationals. Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton earns his first senior call-up, but several big names are absent.
Kyle Walker, Phil Foden, Ivan Toney, Jack Grealish, and Harry Maguire have all been overlooked, while injuries rule out Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer, and Levi Colwill. Fit-again John Stones is included for the first time under Tuchel, having recovered from a thigh problem, while veteran Jordan Henderson, now 35 and playing at Brentford, retains his place.
England host Andorra at Wembley on September 6 before travelling to Belgrade to face Serbia on September 9 as they look to strengthen their lead in Group K.
England squad for World Cup qualifiers:
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Manchester City), Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace)
Defenders: Reece James (Chelsea), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), John Stones (Manchester City), Dan Burn (Newcastle), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), Tino Livramento (Newcastle), Djed Spence (Tottenham)
Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Declan Rice (Arsenal)
Forwards: Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Noni Madueke (Arsenal), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)
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