Thomas Tuchel has fired a warning towards the injured trio of Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer and Bukayo Saka, as he promised to be “brave” with his team selection after the Three Lions cruised to a 5-0 victory against Serbia on Tuesday.
The German saw his England side give their best performance under his reign so far in Belgrade, as five different goalscorers put a strong Serbian side to the sword.
It capped off an impressive international break for the Three Lions, after they dismantled Andorra 2-0 at Villa Park last week.
More to the point, Bellingham, Saka and Palmer all sat out the games with the trio recovering from injuries.
Thomas Tuchel didn't hold back
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Tuchel called on the reinforcements of Noni Madueke, Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze to replace them, and all impressed on their opportunity.
So much so that Tuchel has admitted he will continue to be “brave” with his selections, suggesting that their positions in the starting line-up may be more tenable than they thought, despite their club form.
"I am always brave,” the German said after his side’s dominant victory. “You know that. But I don't talk now about hypothetical names that can be left out.
Noni Madueke and Morgan Rogers impressed for Thomas Tuchel's side | REUTERS"Let's see who's fit and available. I think we took some brave decisions already. We nominated a squad of only 21 to keep the competition going.
"It's a privilege to be in camp and then fight for your place. If you can help everyone to be better and to grow, and this is what we did."
Elliot Anderson played both games, while Madueke grabbed his first goal for his country and Rogers produced a sublime flick assist, forcing Tuchel into a selection headache for England's upcoming games in October against Wales and Latvia, depending on the fitness of his injured stars.
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Anthony Gordon impressed on Tuesday
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Bellingham is expected back by the end of the month, earlier than the October date he had originally received, after he had surgery on a longstanding shoulder injury in the summer.
Both Saka and Palmer started the Premier League season with their respective clubs, but suffered injuries early on and are yet to return to action.
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Trent Alexander-Arnold did not even make the squad this time round, despite being fit.
Both starting line-ups Tuchel put out during the international period contained seven of the same players, and the 52-year-old boss continued by insisting on the importance of team spirit, togetherness and consistency.
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| REUTERS"Of course. This is a team sport. This was teamwork in its purest form. They have the quality to play for us and the hunger to play for their country, and everyone gets their chance.
"If a big player misses out on a tournament, we need to have solutions, if he misses a camp, we need to have solutions.
Elliot Anderson also impressed and featured in both games for England over the International break
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"We have to focus on the guys who are available and who are ready to be the best versions of themselves and the best teammate possible and this is what we did."
The headache now remains for Tuchel, who will have undoubtedly been impressed by Madueke and Rogers in particular.
The boss is insistent that no one’s place is definite, and is clearly creating a competitive but healthy environment for spots in the starting line-up.
With the World Cup just around the corner, Saka, Bellingham and Palmer will have to ensure their performance for their country is up to scratch as the others bang on the door of Tuchel - and he isn’t afraid to pick them.