Tuchel has the floor: Still no Jude, Saka is back

Even though the eyes of the football public in England are on the Premier League, EFL Cup, and the EPL sides' European campaigns, once again, it's that time of the year when Thomas Tuchel has the floor, as the international break is upon us.

Earlier today, the Three Lions' manager announced the squad for a friendly match against Wales (October 9, 21.45) and a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying clash against Latvia (October 14, 21.45).

Compared to the squad the German chose for the previous national team actions, Tuchel made only three changes, two of which were forced due to injuries.

Not Kane, not Rice - Jude is England's best player

Newcastle's Tino Livramento hurt his knee ligament five days ago against Arsenal and will miss 6-8 weeks. Hence, Tuchel turned to the ex-Liverpool man and now Bayer Leverkusen defender Jarell Quansah, who has been called up before but has yet to debut for the national team.

The club with the most injuries in the EPL, Arsenal, lost one international, but the replacement came from their own ranks. Namely, after scoring his maiden England goal against Serbia last month, Noni Madueke picked up a knee injury, so Bukayo Saka will take his place on the team, just a few weeks after recovering from a thigh injury.

Finally, the last change in the squad was solely Tuchel's decision, as he dropped Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton and called up Ruben Loftus-Cheek of AC Milan.

Even though Jude Bellingham is back to Real Madrid's team after a shoulder surgery, the German didn't want to risk anything with him, as the midfielder has just returned to full fitness. In addition, despite their fine recent forms, Man City's Phil Foden and Jack Grealish of Everton have been omitted.

England top their FIFA WC qualifying group with 15 points - seven more than second-placed Albania - and are very close to becoming one of the first European teams to book a ticket for the USA, Canada, and Mexico.

ENGLAND SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Man City)

Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Reece James (Chelsea), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Tottenham), John Stones (Man City)

Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (AC Milan), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)

Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)