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Thomas Tuchel defends leaving Trent Alexander-Arnold out of the latest England squad, while recalling Ben White and reshaping options for the upcoming friendlies against Uruguay and Japan at Wembley. Tuchel accepts the call may seem harsh, especially after Alexander-Arnold’s improved form for Real Madrid, but says the decision is based on current plans and previous England camps.

England also adjust in attack, with Harry Kane granted permission to arrive late for this international window. That absence gives Ollie Watkins and Dominic Calvert-Lewin a rare opportunity to lead the line from kick-off. Tuchel stresses that both forwards must show they can handle that responsibility against strong opposition.

Alexander-Arnold has been omitted despite starting both legs of Real Madrid’s Champions League last-16 win against Manchester City and delivering a standout assist in a 3-2 derby victory over Atletico Madrid. Tuchel has used Alexander-Arnold only once for England so far, in a 1-0 win against Andorra in June, and continues to look at different defensive profiles.

White was initially overlooked, with Jarrell Quansah preferred in the England squad before suffering an injury. When Quansah withdrew, Tuchel turned to Arsenal defender White, who has not featured for England since the 2022 World Cup after making himself unavailable. White has never publicly confirmed the reasons for that decision.

Explaining the defensive call, Tuchel said: “It’s just a choice, a sporting choice. Maybe a hard choice, and maybe to a degree unfair. The choice was for White because I saw him play in the cup final, in the Champions League match before, and he was back to his old self. It was a chance to meet him in person. I know what Trent can give us, so the choice was for Ben and Tino Livramento, to stick with the guys who had a good camp with us in September, October or November. Djed Spence as well. I know it creates noise when you leave a player like Trent out. We had a call; I tried to explain the situation. He just has to accept it.”

Alexander-Arnold’s situation at Real Madrid adds further intrigue to England’s defensive options. The former Liverpool full-back joined Madrid on a free transfer at the end of last season and struggled early in LaLiga. Performances have improved lately, yet Tuchel prefers to reward defenders who featured in recent England camps and showed consistency under the current staff.

Options at right-back now include White, Tino Livramento and Djed Spence, who all spent time with the squad during the September, October and November gatherings. Tuchel stresses familiarity is important for this international window, with only limited training time before England face Uruguay on Friday and then Japan afterwards at Wembley.

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Tuchel wants to focus less on past tension around White’s England absence and more on renewed commitment. Addressing the defender’s return, Tuchel said: “I think everyone deserves a second chance. Second, I don’t know exactly what happened. I was also not 100% interested because I wanted to open a new page and a new book and a new opportunity. Once I asked Ben if he would be ready to play for me and for England, he, without hesitation, said he would love to come back and was desperate to come back. I think it’s necessary he clears the air with his team-mates and I think he will, with players who might come back who were at the World Cup together with him. Then we’ll go from there. Let’s see how it goes and let’s see how he feels, if he feels as comfortable and as confident as he thought he would. Until now, this has been the case.”

England squad attacking roles without Harry Kane

With Kane missing the Uruguay match, Tuchel must test different attacking structures and penalty options. Watkins and Calvert-Lewin are assessed not only as short-term replacements, but also as potential partners for Kane in future games when England require two forwards or fresh legs late on.

Tuchel outlined the selection puzzle up front, saying: “Harry is Harry, our captain. A starter for us. The question is if we are chasing a result, do we really take Harry off? When is there a chance to be a sub for Harry? Or do we look for someone who will play with Harry? Or someone who is a good penalty taker? These are the questions we have to answer. It’s important they understand it’s a big chance to be in camp without Harry, to compete for a real chance to start.”

Across defence and attack, Tuchel’s latest England squad underlines a preference for players who committed to recent camps while still allowing room for returns such as White. Alexander-Arnold’s club form keeps pressure on the right-back group, while Kane’s delayed arrival offers forwards a rare audition. Uruguay and Japan now provide a clear test of those choices at Wembley.

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