Palmer, Foden Return in Tuchel's First England Squad — SkimNews
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- Thomas Tuchel will name his first England squad on Friday — 65 days after the semi-final loss to Argentina — with four games in 11 days against Spain, the Czech Republic and Croatia in the Nations League.
- Cole Palmer and Phil Foden are in Tuchel's provisional squad after their controversial World Cup omissions, alongside Liverpool's 18-year-old Rio Ngumoha, who debuted in a warm-up against New Zealand, and Newcastle left-back Lewis Hall.
- Jordan Henderson, Dean Henderson and John Stones are expected to be omitted due to injury, while striker Ivan Toney — who started the bronze-medal match — is unavailable after being charged with assault causing actual bodily harm.
- Harry Kane started all seven of England's World Cup matches and was substituted only twice, both times late in games already won, leaving Tuchel with no proven backup; Dominic Calvert-Lewin (four goals in four games for Leeds) and Liam Delap (first goal for Nottingham Forest last weekend) are the in-form alternatives.
- The FA is conducting a standard review into the World Cup campaign, with key figures viewing the third-place finish as England's best since 1966; Tuchel and his backroom team contributed at St George's Park in late August, and the review will examine the impact of England's permanent Kansas City base.
- England open the Nations League against new world champions Spain at Wembley — a test the source frames as more revealing than last autumn's qualifiers against weaker opposition, and a dress rehearsal for Euro 2028.
Why it matters: The biggest selection call is whether Tuchel trusts Palmer and Foden to impose themselves against elite opposition after England surrendered a 1-0 lead to Argentina in the semi-final. Opening against world champions Spain at Wembley turns this squad announcement into a tactical statement, and the Kane backup dilemma remains unsolved after he started all seven World Cup matches.
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