'I’m not a start-stop player – it is so hard for me to influence a match from the bench and then be on the bench again, and then two weeks later I start again': Thomas Tuchel reveals what England star told him following squad announcement

England's German head coach Thomas Tuchel attends a press conference at Wembley in north London on March 14, 2025, as he announces his first squad ahead of world cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP) / NOT FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING USE / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images)
England manager Thomas Tuchel (Image credit: Getty Images)

Thomas Tuchel will take charge of England for the first time on Friday night, as the Three Lions host Albania in a World Cup 2026 qualifying match.

After announcing his first England squad since officially taking the job at the start of 2025, Tuchel made some bold calls adding the likes of Dan Burn, Jordan Henderson and Marcus Rashford, as well as leaving out a couple of high-profile names.

Injury to Cole Palmer has seen the Chelsea man replaced with Morgan Gibbs-White, highlighting just how far down the pecking order some players truly are for the England manager - though Tuchel's intention is to hopefully get as many talented players back into selection, provided they are playing enough games for their clubs at a high level.

Thomas Tuchel explains why exciting talent has failed to make England squad

Thomas Tuchel England manager sitting in the Wembley changing room

Thomas Tuchel will take charge of his first England manager on Friday (Image credit: Getty Images)

Arguably the most notable omission from Tuchel's squad is Jack Grealish, with the Manchester City man having played just 36 minutes of Premier League football this calendar year.

Though the German boss realises Grealish's ability, he also indicated that it's difficult to include him in a squad when he's out of favour at club level. Intriguingly, Tuchel also added that he's talked to Grealish about his lack of minutes, suggesting the player isn't happy with his involvement under Pep Guardiola at the moment.

Jack Grealish of England celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the UEFA Nations League 2024/25 League B Group B2 match between Republic of Ireland and England at Aviva Stadium on September 07, 2024 in Dublin, Ireland.

Grealish started the season in England's squad under Lee Carsley (Image credit: Carl Recine/Getty Images)

“I love Jack," Tuchel said when asked about the 29-year-old. "As a headline, I love Jack. I love everything about him. I love his personality, I love his quality. The guy has courage, he can take the heat, he’s not afraid of the Bernabeu whistles when he’s on the ball, it does not affect him and if it affects him only in the best way.

“So, is he a player that should be available and can have an impact in our squad? Yes, 100 per cent.

“He simply has no rhythm and he himself – and I agree 100 per cent with this – said, ‘Listen, Thomas, I’m not a start-stop player – it is so hard for me to influence a match from the bench and then be on the bench again, and then two weeks later I start again'."

Grealish has been linked with a move away from Manchester City in the summer to revive his somewhat ailing career, with Tottenham and a return to Aston Villa both mooted.

Manchester City squad for 2024/25 MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - AUGUST 24: Jack Grealish of Man City in action during the Premier League match between Manchester City FC and Ipswich Town FC at Etihad Stadium on August 24, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Grealish's game time has become limited (Image credit: Getty Images)

With two years still remaining on his contract, and the fact he cost Manchester City £100m in 2021, Grealish certainly won't come cheap, however. While Transfermarkt values him at £38m, it's likely a fee of more than £50m is needed to tempt Manchester City into a sale.

In FourFourTwo's view, both Grealish and Tuchel are completely correct in their evaluations of the player's current situation. He clearly needs to get out of the Etihad Stadium as soon as possible, especially with World Cup 2026 just around the corner now.

Ryan Dabbs
Staff writer

Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future.