"That’s the only goal," Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers said this week when asked about Thomas Tuchel’s ambition to end England's 60-year wait for senior success at the 2026 World Cup. "He was very clear and transparent. With what he wants to do, how he wants to do it, how he wants to go about it, what he sees in us, and what we need to improve. It was very straight-up, no cutting round corners. It was straight and that’s how he is."
Tuchel's contract ends after the tournament in North America, so he's not making any long-term plans. That much was certainly evident when the former Chelsea boss named his first England squad for the March World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia, as he included five players over the age of 30 in his 26-man list.
The two most eye-catching moves were undoubtedly the call-ups for 34-year-old duo Jordan Henderson and Kyle Walker. Ajax captain Henderson hasn't played for his country in over a year, having paid the price for an ill-advised stint in Saudi Arabia, while Walker joined AC Milan on loan in January after falling out of favour at Manchester City.
Veteran Newcastle defender Dan Burn also got the nod alongside Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford, who has been enjoying a mini-resurgence at Aston Villa after burning all his bridges at Old Trafford. Tuchel is clearly going to bank on experience to get England over the line next summer, but his ultra-safe selections have, understandably, rubbed some fans up the wrong way.
Aside from Liverpool's Jarell Quansah (19) and Myles Lewis-Skelly (18), Tuchel's squad was severely lacking in talented youngsters who have made a massive impression at club level this season. All is not lost for England's next generation of stars, though, because most of them made it into Lee Carsley's Under-21s squad, which has a staggering estimated value of £500 million ($648m) as they prepare to defend the crown they won in 2023 later this year.
