Thomas Tuchel: I did not need to speak with Cole Palmer about England squad omission

Tuchel said he did not need to speak with Palmer about his England omission because Palmer was not in the last camp; the manager cited Palmer's history of missing international fixtures and England's depth at attacking midfield.

Thomas Tuchel defended his decision to leave Cole Palmer out of England's 25-man squad for matches against Croatia and Spain this month. The Chelsea midfielder's exclusion drew attention after a strong run of form, and medical checks confirmed he was fully fit and available.

Tuchel told talkSPORT he saw no need to contact Palmer directly because the player was not part of the previous camp. "If players are left out, then I speak to the players who were in the last camp and give them the reason they are not in this camp," Tuchel said. "Cole was not in the last camp and we had communication last time. Because he was not in the last camp, there is no change."

The, former England manager reiterated that Palmer has a pattern of missing international camps and that the squad is well stocked with attacking options. Jude Bellingham, Jobe Bellingham, Morgan Gibbs-White, Josh King and Eberechi Eze are all available for the No.10 role. Tuchel said the door remains open for Palmer if he performs consistently and shows full commitment, but acknowledged it will be "very, very hard" to displace Bellingham, who is in "world-class form."