JAKARTA - Thomas Tuchel said Jude Bellingham was still an important member of the England squad despite their absence from securing tickets to the 2026 World Cup.
Bellingham was an important player Tuchel didn't include in the squad as they beat Wales in a friendly and then won 5-0 over Latvia in the 2026 World Cup European Zone Qualifiers.
The Real Madrid star has just recovered from shoulder surgery and has not played fully for 90 minutes when Tuchel announced his squad. However, his absence is still a topic of key talks.
The German intends to speak with Bellingham between now and the match against Serbia and Albania in November 2025, in the hope that he may be recalled.
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"I think so. Why not? Of course, he is an important player, he is a big player. I will talk to many players, as well as those who will receive messages from me, especially those who are not in the camp."
"Because the people here now, they get the reward and they feel the reward."
"Now it's also important for me to keep in touch with other people. Nobody makes mistakes."
"This is not a punishment or anything like that. I feel like when I send a message and talk to them, everyone wants to come back and that should be it.
"So, there are a lot of players out there who deserve to be with us," said Tuchel.
The commotion surrounding Bellingham's absence escalated after Tuchel had to apologize for erroneously saying in an interview that his mother thought the midfielder was "disgraceful".
Tuchel insists there are no problems between the two and Bellingham will follow his method if he returns next month.
The former Chelsea coach said about Bellingham and other absent players such as Phil Foden, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Jack Grealish that there is still a big chance to strengthen the Three Lions.
"I have no doubt, if we invite them, then we are sure they will agree. Otherwise, we will not invite them."
"Why should we invite? This cannot be negotiated. I believe in more players than there are here."
"We always talk about the same name, but we have an injured Conor Gallagher, Trevoh Chalobah, and Cole Palmer."
"So, there are a lot of players out there who deserve to be with them and who are hungry and determined to be with us. It has to be like that," said Tuchel again.
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