The recently announced England international friendlies squad has sprung a few surprises.
The squad was announced for friendlies against Uruguay and Japan at Wembley later this month.
Thomas Tuchel has named a 35-man squad, but 11 of those players will join only after the Uruguay match on Friday, March 27.
The England international friendlies squad gives a fair indication of how things will shape up at the World Cup this summer.
England International Friendlies Squad Is Not Without Some Notable Omissions
The England international friendlies squad does not include Trent Alexander-Arnold, the Real Madrid right-back.
It is very rare for a Real Madrid player to be dropped from the international squad, which has raised a few eyebrows ahead of the friendly matches.
Alexander-Arnold should ideally be the back-up for Reece James, who should ideally be the first-choice right-back if fit.
However, Tuchel’s decision to drop him and have Arsenal’s Ben White in the squad is a questionable decision.
White has mostly started on the bench for Arsenal this season, with Jurrien Timber being preferred over him.
Next, there is the decision to drop Ollie Watkins, who has scored 10 goals for Aston Villa this season so far.
England are pretty much stacked as far as their forward line is concerned, but there are not too many people aside from Harry Kane with enough experience of international football in the striker position.
Danny Welbeck, who has scored 13 goals this season, has failed to make the cut as well.
On the other hand, James Garner of Everton has earned his first call-up to the national team, as has Jason Steele of Brighton & Hove Albion.
Garner is 25 and might still be able to earn international caps for his country. However, Steele is 35 already and has not played an international match for the senior English national team yet.
There are quite a few players like Kane, Jordan Pickford, Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson, Marc Guehi, Bukayo Saka and Morgan Rogers, who pick themselves.
Still, there are a few top stars like Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon, Cole Palmer and Phil Foden, who are still on the borderline for getting picked in the World Cup squad ultimately.
Eberechi Eze was named in the squad initially, but missed out because of an injury.
The most recent England international friendlies squad gives quite a few players a chance to shine and make their mark against Uruguay and Japan.
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The England International Friendlies Squad Should Remain Unchanged Mostly For The World Cup
The England international friendlies squad is unlikely to see much change. The likes of Alexander-Arnold, Watkins and Welbeck will, however, get two more months to impress Tuchel with their performance in club football.
The same goes for players like Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Jarrod Bowen, Harvey Barnes and Dan Burn, who will hope to impress against Uruguay and Japan.
Any standout performance will force Tuchel to take notice and act accordingly.
Hence, almost all the players mentioned in the England international friendlies squad will be raring to go and make their mark.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Sports Press Photo
Recording Date: 13.11.2025
