Thomas Tuchel has made the England message plain. The players who reported for duty are the ones he is backing, and Cole Palmer is now trying to force his way back into a group that has moved on without him. Five senior players, Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo, Declan Rice, Tino Livramento and Palmer, withdrew unexpectedly from the recent UEFA Nations League camp.

Tuchel said of the group: "It’s always like this. This is how it has to be. Everyone should be eager to come, desperate to come because the train is rolling and the train is rolling and full credit to the players who bought into that."

Tuchel's line on commitment

He added: "It can only work like this. We can only put our full energy into the camp and the players who are in camp makes the camp special. This will never change."

That is the standard Palmer has to meet again. Tuchel also said of Palmer and Phil Foden: "I don’t know, is the honest answer. They are not here. This team took another step and it’s always about the guys who are here."

There is a football argument around Palmer's absence too. He withdrew before the camp due to reported load management, and he has not played for England since March's friendly against Spain. His club form still looks strong, with five Premier League appearances this season, four combined goals and assists, and a 7.36 average rating for Chelsea.

England have not stood still

Tuchel's case is helped by what the current group has done in his absence. England won three of their last five matches and scored 16 goals in four games during the recent camp. They beat Czechia home and away and put seven past Croatia in that stretch, while Alex Scott played 90 minutes across the four games.

That is why the manager sounds relaxed about waiting for bigger names to fit back in. England are scheduled to face Spain in a decisive group clash on November 15, and Tuchel is backing the players who have already bought into the setup.

Palmer can still work his way back, but the route is clearer now. The current camp belongs to the players who stayed, and England's next serious date is Spain on November 15.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →