FootyChatter.com

Thomas Tuchel took charge of England in January 2025 England manager Thomas Tuchel says he is not angry with the players who have withdrawn from the squad before Tuesday's friendly with Japan. Noni Madueke, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, John Stones, and Adam Wharton have dropped out since Friday's 1-1 draw with Uruguay. Additionally, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Fikayo Tomori and Aaron Ramsdale were cut from Tuchel's extended squad. This is the final England camp before the deadline for naming World Cup squads on 30 May. Tuchel said he was "disappointed, but not with the players - with the fact we want to have everyone in good spirits and health". He said: "It's the reality of end of the season and the end of March; the reality of having players in European matches and more than just one competition with all the cups going on. " Tuchel picked an expanded 35-man squad for the Uruguay and Japan games at Wembley. He split his players into two camps across the fixtures, the first made up primarily of fringe players and the second of more regular players. "We have players in camp that have already played more minutes than last season, so there is some concern, " said Tuchel. "The players needed and deserved the mental break from football. We could see the energy with which they came back into camp and to reconnect now in the new environment. "We want them to perform in their clubs, but the reality is it's our last camp before we leave to America, so we want to reconnect to our principles. "It's disappointing but I'm not upset with the players. I'm not angry. "I got the feeling that everyone was desperate to come. Some of the injured players even stayed to do their treatment. That shows they want to be around the group. "No-one left straight away. It's a good spirit and that's how it should be. " The World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico runs from 11 June to 19 July. England will play friendlies against New Zealand and Costa Rica in June. They open their World Cup campaign against Croatia on 17 June and face Ghana on 23 June and Panama on 27 June. This video can not be played Tuchel puts player withdrawals down to workload of players Shades of Gascoigne - the rise of England's Anderson Were England players really 'playing for themselves' - and what next? Comments can not be loaded To load Comments you need to enable Java Script in your browser De Zerbi in advanced talks to become Spurs manager Tuchel not angry over England withdrawals Broken glass makes Horner return difficult - Wolff Ruth Jones as the late Carry On actress Hattie Jacques Tim Peake's quick update ahead of Artemis II's launch A gruelling final battle for the Gladiators Champion 2026 title Searching for answers decades on from an unsolved death How Sky can ignore limit on its TV picks & why fans are fed up Spurs have addressed their Tudor error - but cannot afford another 75% of fans oppose VAR in Premier League, says FSA Shades of Gascoigne - the rise of England's Anderson What can F1's bosses do to help keep Verstappen in the sport? Another crash, another bleary-eyed mugshot - what now for Woods? BBC Sport experts choose England World Cup XIs - who would you pick? Unbeaten Itauma knocks out Franklin. Video Unbeaten Itauma knocks out Franklin Why are Scotland playing Ivory Coast in Liverpool? Were England players really 'playing for themselves' against Uruguay? Mary Rand - the trailblazing Olympic champion The remarkable return of Roy Hodgson aged 78 Does Chukwuemeka show the demise of the 90-minute player? 'Kicked to the kerb' - is boxing failing its heroes? Fabregas, film stars and Disney: How Como are disrupting Italian football. Video Fabregas, film stars and Disney: How Como are disrupting Italian football Copyright © 2026 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.