Thomas Tuchel's first England squad, named for the World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia in March last year, has changed fast. Only 15 players from that group remain involved, while 11 are no longer in the picture as England prepare for Spain's visit to Wembley on Saturday.
The scale of the turnover
Tuchel has kept 15 of the original 26, which is a sizeable shift for a squad that is still only 18 months on from its first selection. The current group for the quartet of Nations League games is 26 players again, but it is already a different mix in a way that goes beyond a routine call-up or two.
The absentees come from several different places. Four of the missing players were injured, with Dean Henderson, Dan Burn, Reece James and Jordan Henderson all out. Kyle Walker has retired from international football, while Aaron Ramsdale is now the fourth-choice goalkeeper at Championship Southampton.
Dominic Solanke has also missed out after scoring just once this season. That is the sort of form issue that leaves little room for argument when Tuchel is trimming the group, especially with late additions such as Morgan Gibbs-White and James Garner coming in after withdrawals.
England's squad for the upcoming Nations League block still carries the usual sense of depth, but the personnel around it has moved on quickly. The original March selection is already more notable for who has gone than for who remains, and the Spain game at Wembley is the latest checkpoint on that reset.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
