Thomas Tuchel 'disappointed' after withdrawals from England squad, but says 'it made no sense' for Arsenal duo Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice to stay
Published 30/03/2026 at 13:05 GMT+1
React to this story
Eight England players - including Arsenal pair Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka - left the squad following Friday's clash with Uruguay. England manager Thomas Tuchel spoke to reporters on Monday, admitting he is disappointed with the situation, but not the players, given the key time of the club season. England face Japan in their final friendly on home soil before the World Cup.
Gerrard ‘surprised’ and ‘disappointed’ by Alexander-Arnold’s England omission
Video credit: TNT Sports
Thomas Tuchel has admitted he is disappointed that so many players have dropped out of his England squad ahead of their meeting with Japan, but he is not upset or angry with the players.
England will be without several key men for Tuesday's match at Wembley, including Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, John Stones and Adam Wharton.
It is England's final match on home soil before the World Cup in North America kicks off in June.
Manager Tuchel spoke to reporters on Monday, and said he understands that we are now heading into the business end of the season.
"Not disappointed with the players, disappointed with the fact," Tuchel said. "It's the reality of the season, the reality of the end of March, reality of players involved in more than one competition.
"We have players in camp that have already played more minutes than last season, so there is some concern.
"The players deserve the mental break from football, and we could see the energy with which they came back to camp in a new environment.
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2026/03/21/image-fd7e1eac-6a85-4c6b-ad5d-37146ef1724b-85-2560-1440.jpeg)
Does Welbeck deserve to be in Tuchel's England squad?
Video credit: TNT Sports
"It helps them go back to clubs and perform. We want them to perform in their clubs, but it is also our last camp before America, so we want to reconnect to our principles. I'm not upset or angry with the players.
"I got the feeling that everyone was desperate to come. Some of the injured players even stayed to do their treatment, that shows they want to be around the group. No one left straight away. It's a good spirit and that's how it should be."
On the Arsenal pair of Rice and Saka - still on the hunt for three trophies to end the club campaign - Tuchel said it was too big a risk to play them.
"They wanted desperately to play to get the narrative straight, but it made no sense to make the risk," Tuchel said.
"If it was the last game of the season we would have kept them, but in this moment of the season it did not make sense. The risk for making it was way too big.
"They were both clearly in discomfort when we did the medical assessment. It made absolutely no sense that they stayed."
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2026/03/30/image-a9463f6f-7db0-4e5a-9871-73087ceffed7.jpeg)
The Arsenal pair of Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice were among those to pull out of the squad
Image credit: Getty Images
Tuchel was also asked specifically about Stones, with the Manchester City defender withdrawing from the squad with a calf issue, the latest frustration of an injury-plagued season.
"It's not ideal for John and for us," Tuchel said. "John was gutted he had this minor incident, not a big injury.
"Given the history we had to be careful, it made no sense to push him through and try stuff that could make it worse.
"He has a lot of credit with me in the bank, he is a key player for us as a starter or a substitute. His quality, his mentality and the personality, how he is, he is a big part of my plans still.
"Like everyone he has to be fit, there is no big exception for that. Let's wait how it plays out."
- Bellingham starting for England will 'depend on' one key thing, says Hargreaves
- What next for Carrick, Rashford and Jadon Sancho? Man Utd face big decisions
England drew 1-1 with Uruguay on Tuesday, and Tuchel is expecting another tough match against Japan, with his team's opening World Cup match against Croatia now less than three months away.
"I like it a lot, I like the Japanese team, it's an honour to play them," Tuchel said.
"We have two very interesting and different opponents, different mentalities and style of play. We were excited about it. The quality and the way Japan plays, one loss in 17 matches, very good run.
"You see the quality, we need to be ourselves and be on our top performance to win the game."
---
Stream the Premier League, men’s and women’s FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League and more live on TNT Sports and HBO Max
Related Topics
Advertisement
Advertisement