According to reports, Manchester United star Kobbie Mainoo may not be included in the next England squad as Thomas Tuchel has a concern.
England boss Tuchel will announce his squad for this month’s international break on Friday morning.
The Three Lions have friendlies against Uruguay and Japan next week, with these matches giving players a final opportunity to impress Tuchel and his coaching team before this summer’s World Cup.
Tuchel’s latest squad could look very different to the one he selected in November, with this partly to do with the dramatic turnaround at Man Utd over the past few months.
Mainoo, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw are among those who have benefited from the appointment of interim boss Michael Carrick, with each player impressing a lot as the Red Devils have become a firm favourite to secure Champions League qualification.
Mainoo is one of the most talented players in the England fold at the moment, so his return to being a United mainstay will no doubt have been welcomed by Tuchel.
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A new report from Sky Sports claims Mainoo is ‘close’ to an England recall and is ‘pushing’ to be included, but Maguire is said to be the ‘most likely’ of Man Utd’s players to feature.
According to the report, Maguire is a ‘strong contender’ because of his ‘experience and leadership’, while there is a doubt with Mainoo due to his ‘intensity levels’ from only playing one game a week for Man Utd.
There are similar concerns with Shaw due to his injury record, while Everton standout James Garner is ‘offering competition’ to Mainoo and he is ‘close to a first senior call-up’.
Elsewhere, the same report named Trent Alexander-Arnold, Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento as likely inclusions, while Jude Bellingham is ‘expected to be included’ after recovering from a hamstring injury.
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Regarding Tuchel’s stance on Alexander-Arnold and Bellingham, the report adds:
‘In the absence of the injured Reece James, Trent Alexander-Arnold has a strong chance of a recall too, following his more regular inclusion in the Real Madrid side. He hasn’t been involved with his country since June last year, but Tuchel is a big fan of his footballing ability.
‘Jude Bellingham is expected to be included by Tuchel – even though he is still recovering from a hamstring injury he picked up on February 1. He is back in training, but wasn’t included in the Real Madrid squad which knocked Manchester City out of the Champions League earlier this week.’
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