England boss Thomas Tuchel has revealed why he has decided to leave Real Madrid star Trent Alexander-Arnold out of the Three Lions squad.
The German revealed his squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers and there were some notable exclusions from the 24.
The ex-Liverpool player was a surprising exclusion from the squad that will take on Andorra and Serbia in World Cup qualifiers.
When asked why he was left out of the squad, Tuchel revealed: “We decided for a tighter, more competitive squad, we didn't use all 23 players. There is no doubt I am a big fan of Trent and Jack Grealish.
Trent Alexander Arnold has been left out of the England squad
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"Big players and big personalities, always in the mix. I know both are desperate but in this camp we decided for Reece [James] and Livramento and in Jack's [Grealish], Rashy and Ebs. The competition is up.”
While Alexander-Arnold and Grealish were left out of the squad, there were some surprise inclusions, with two players who have never played for England getting the call-up.
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Djed Spence and Elliot Anderson were both names in the squad for the first time in their careers, with Tuchel heaping praise on Spence.
He said: “Djed comes to camp as a left-back together with Myles and fights for his position there. It's a first call-up. I think it's very well deserved.
Djed Spence is a surprise call up to the England side
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“He had a very strong end to the season, won a major trophy and a very strong start to the season with Tottenham. He played very impressively in the European Super Cup.
"He is a very aggressive player who loves to have on on one duels, is not shy to be in one-on-one duels with the most talented, and the fastest players who play on the right wing out there, so strong start to the season straight away and he's a big part of Tottenham’s success at the moment and everyone told us he is very focused at the moment.
"Very focused on training, very keen to get better. We can see this, and that's why we called him up."
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Life under Tuchel has not been plain sailing for England, with performances lacking, not least when England lost in their most recent match against Senegal.
However, the England boss is confident things are going in the right direction.
The ex-Chelsea manager went on to say: “The competition is on. And that is why I like it. There were no transfers, no engagement with agents and club officials. We used the summer to reflect on the first two camps.
Thomas Tuchel has not had an easy time as England manager
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We have invited a lot of observations from the players and wanted to build a tighter, more competitive squad. It is important we show improvement and create identity through the three camps."
England will take on Andorra next weekend in the first of their World Cup qualifiers before facing Serbia.