Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones has been left out of the England squad for the upcoming matches against Wakes and Latvia.
Jones has fallen out of favour with England boss Thomas Tuchel after featuring early in the former Chelsea boss’s reign.
His omission leaves Liverpool with no representation in the squad, who will play a friendly against Wales next Thursday and a World Cup Qualifier against Latvia the following Tuesday.
There was room for two ex-Reds, with summer sale Jarell Quansah – now at Bayer Leverkusen – receiving his inaugural call-up, and fan-favourite Jordan Henderson retaining his place.
Henderson has had a good start at Brentford – two assists, one notably in their convincing win against Man United last weekend – which was enough to keep the seasoned veteran in the squad.
Jack Grealish was also left off the squad list, despite his strong start for Everton.
Grealish has registered four assists in four starts to begin the campaign, picking up August’s Premier League Player of the Month in the process.
England boss Thomas Tuchel talked highly of the rejuvenated man. He said: “Jack is very close to being back to the best version of himself.”
The German also noted that he had spoken to Grealish and that he had “no problem being left out”.
The Toffee’s new star will have to wait for his first for his call up since October 2024.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the squad came with Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham’s absence.
Bellingham – who scored a heroic overhead kick for England in the previous Euros – has struggled for fitness this season, with his first start only coming this week in Real Madrid’s 5-0 victory in the Champions League.
Tuchel confirmed Bellingham wanted to be in the squad, but he felt the squad’s core didn’t need changing, saying: “We had a big win against a strong opponent in a difficult away match, so the question was: why not bring the same group in because they set the standards?”
Every squad, and performance for England, is key, with England’s place in the World Cup being all but confirmed, the players will be looking to book their place on the plane.
