England squad: Man City duo Foden, Grealish left out as Chelsea star earns first call-up, Toney returns
Thomas Tuchel has named his England squad for the upcoming matches against Andorra and Senegal, with Phil Foden a notable omission.
There is no rest for international players following the end of the 2024/25 campaign, as England have a World Cup qualifier against Andorra and a friendly against Senegal next month.
This upcoming international window is Tuchel’s second since he became England’s head coach and he has not shied away from making controversial decisions.
A report from The Athletic’s David Ornstein on Friday morning revealed Al-Ahli forward Ivan Toney is ‘set to be recalled‘, and this has been confirmed.
Tuchel will receive backlash for this call, with this the first time the forward has been selected since he left Brentford for the Saudi Pro League.
Toney attracted interest from several Premier League sides ahead of the 2024 summer window, but he decided to take the Saudi big bucks as he joined Al-Ahli on a free transfer upon the expiry of his Brentford contract.
The 29-year-old is joined in the squad by five returnees who are set to feature under Tuchel for the first time, with Bukayo Saka, Conor Gallagher, Noni Madueke and Trent Alexander-Arnold included.
Meanwhile, Chelsea centre-back Trevoh Chalobah is set for a reunion with Tuchel as his strong end to the season has earned him his first senior call-up.
There is no place for Man City pair Foden or Grealish in the squad, though. The two attacking midfielders have been criticised for their poor performances this season and have not done enough to justify a selection.
A report from Sky Sports claims Foden has been omitted after ‘requesting to be given a period of rest to address his physical and mental health’.
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Full England squad:
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton) and James Trafford (Burnley).
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Dan Burn (Newcastle United), Trevoh Chalobah (Chelsea), Levi Colwill (Chelsea), Reece James (Chelsea), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal) and Kyle Walker (AC Milan, loan from Manchester City).
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Conor Gallagher (Atletico Madrid), Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest), Jordan Henderson (Ajax), Curtis Jones (Liverpool), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Declan Rice (Arsenal) and Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa).
Forwards: Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Noni Madueke (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli) and Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa).
On his decision to include Toney, Tuchel explained: “He played a lot. We watched him a lot and he had massive contributions with decisive goals in important matches.
“He won a big title with his club [Al-Ahli], the Asian Champions League.
“I didn’t have the opportunity to see him live in Saudi Arabia, so we took the possibility to fly him in to our camp and watch him live, to see his personality and quality.”
