England boss Thomas Tuchel reveals position on national anthem U-turn ahead of Albania match

Carsley refused to sing the national anthem because he's from Ireland, with the former Everton coach sticking to his guns despite suffering a backlash from some supporters online.

Tuchel, when he first took charge, said he would have to 'earn the right' to belt out 'God Save the King'.

Now, however, he's suggested that he's ready to perform a U-turn by singing it when the World Cup takes place in the United States, Canada and Mexico next year.

When asked if he had now earned that right, Tuchel said: “You think it is already there? I will think about it.

“Yeah, maybe at the World Cup. Let’s see.”

England have enjoyed a positive start to life under Tuchel. Barring a shock 3-1 defeat to Senegal at Nottingham Forest's City Ground, they've won all of their matches while the 52-year-old has ruled the roost.

And one thing he's not been afraid to do is be bold in his approach to his team selection.

For Thursday night's 2-0 victory over Serbia at Wembley - which was achieved following goals in either half from Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze - Tuchel opted to leave the likes of Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden on the bench.

Bellingham is a curious case. For all his talent, and impressive performances for England in the past, he's no longer undroppable.

Tuchel has preferred to select Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers ahead of him, meaning the 22-year-old won't be a guaranteed starter at next summer's World Cup.

When asked about his decision to leave Bellingham out, Tuchel revealed he informed the Real Madrid star beforehand that he wouldn't be unleashed from the start.

“It was no problem at all. I explained it to him before the (pre-match) meeting," he explained.

“We had three fantastic performances with Morgan, so one of the reasons was to keep him in this position.

“The pressing structure between Declan (Rice), Morgan and Harry (Kane) in the middle of the pitch was excellent in the last matches.

“It would be a bit unfair to just put Jude there and say, ‘It is like this’. It is a new press for him because we changed our way of pressing in the last two camps.”

England will be aiming to continue their unbeaten World Cup qualifying campaign when they face Albania on Sunday.

When asked about his squad, he stated: “We need a good bench. We will play in 40 degrees after a long season.

“We are maybe the nation that suffers the most from international football, long seasons, two cups, cup finals, semi-finals.

“Players on the bench will never be happy, they don’t have to be happy.

“No one is used to sitting on the bench, this is the nature of a strong national team.

“They come because they are regularly picked. They come because they are captains and key players in their team and then I tell ten of them they have to sit on the bench.

“They will never like it but I strongly believe they will accept it. Once we go to a tournament, I think clarity in the role is very important.

“The better player can also think about it and be honest, ‘Can I accept this? Is it good for me? Can I make the most of this for the team?’

“You can be angry at the coach, but if you see the nations that win, see the clubs that win the Champions League, then the bench is on their feet.

“For the last eight, ten minutes, there is no one sat there thinking, ‘I should be on the field, why am I not there?’

“I experienced this once in the amazing run with Chelsea and it was non-stop – everyone was pushing and fighting from the bench.

“Even if they were not picked, they were ready. This makes the difference and I strongly believe we should arrive with a team like that.”