Thomas Tuchel says Manchester City players could still be picked for England even if the club are relegated. City have been found guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules, and possible sanctions range from fines and points deductions to stripping their trophies away or even expulsion from the Premier League. Tuchel said he would look at the situation case by case.

Tuchel's selection line

Speaking to metro.co.uk, Tuchel said: "There’s always a possibility. I think I will always try to pick the best team for the camp, for the occasion, for the tournament and I will never rule out that they don’t play in the top flight in their country. So, you need to look at this case-by-case."

He also said: "There is no other voice needed to add to all this. So I’m glad to not be that voice. No one needs my half-knowledge on the topic."

The message is a practical one. Tuchel is not offering a legal view on City’s case, but he is leaving the door open for players who might be caught up in it. He added that the players are "ready to go for tomorrow", even if the topic is a big one in camp.

England names already in the discussion

The current camp already has City-linked selection questions around Phil Foden, Marc Guehi, Elliot Anderson and Nico O’Reilly, with O’Reilly having pulled out through injury. Foden has already played 4 Premier League matches this season, has a 6.42 league rating and has 2 Premier League goal contributions.

That profile is enough to keep him in the frame if Tuchel is doing what he says and judging each player individually. Keith Wyness has also argued that wage and cost pressure could reshape the squad if the worst punishment arrives, and he suggested some players could stay while others would not.

The wider issue is that City are not waiting around for the hearing to become background noise. The club are due to meet as a group on Thursday at the City Football Academy, and their first match after the verdict is a trip to Liverpool on Sunday. City’s stars have spent the past fortnight away on international duty, so the selection debate is landing right as the club try to get everyone back together.

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