Thomas Tuchel names 35-man England squad for Uruguay and Japan friendlies

England manager Thomas Tuchel has released a quite surprising 35-man squad for the Three Lions international friendlies against Uruguay and Japan.

Some previously excluded names, such as Kobbie Mainoo and Harry Maguire, have received a call-up.

The competition for the No. 10 role still sparks debate, as players like Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers, Phil Foden, and Jude Bellingham are all given the chance to showcase their talent and stake a claim for the final inclusion in the 2026 World Cup squad.

Just after the squad release, concerns of a blotted call-up have been raised by various sections of the media – questions such as, does he really need to call up 35 men for these friendlies have popped up? Never been done before; the word in town.

Here is the list:

Goalkeepers: Henderson, Pickford, Ramsdale, Steele, Trafford.

Defenders: Burn, Guehi, Hall, Konsa, Livramento, Maguire, O’Reilly, Quansah, Spence, Stones, Tomori.

Midfielders: Anderson, Bellingham, Garner, Henderson, Mainoo, Palmer, Rice, Rogers, Wharton.

Forwards: Bowen, Calvert-Lewin, Eze, Foden, Gordon, Kane, Madueke, Rashford, Saka, Solanke.

Tuchel, however, goes further to respond questions on why Maguire and Kobbie Mainoo are back in the squad.

On Maguire:

“Harry simply deserves it. He has, especially since Michael Carrick took over, had very, very good performances and fantastic results and is a key figure in the Man United squad who is now in third place and on a very good run of form. He’s a big reason for that, so he deserves to be with us.

“It’s interesting also for me to get to know him in person and to see him in training and see him within the group. He has outstanding qualities on set-pieces, so I’m happy that he found his way back to us.”

Kobbie Mainoo has been reborn under Manchester United caretaker manager Michael Carrick, and the German tactician justifies his call-up to the squad once again.

On Mainoo:

“Kobbie is like Harry. A major part of the success story with Man United lately in the last weeks. He plays all the time and I hear so many good things in the FA and from other players and I see his quality, so I want to meet him in person and see what he can do to get to know him better. Competition is on for him.”