‘Surprise’ Brighton player backed for call-up – ‘He could win England the World Cup’
Thomas Tuchel has come under intense scrutiny for his England selections over recent international breaks amid a number of controversial decisions.
Jude Bellingham was left out by Tuchel last time, raising concerns about a potential bust-up between the pair despite the Real Madrid star’s usual status in the squad.
Meanwhile, Tuchel was slammed for leaving Adam Wharton out of his squad, while Jack Grealish and Phil Foden have also been widely tipped to make a return.
The England boss will announce his latest selections on Friday 6 November, with all eyes on St George’s Park for the next round of World Cup qualifiers against Serbia and Albania.
Calls for the likes of Wharton, Foden and Grealish to be included have emerged once more, while there have also been some outside shouts for a call-up.
Danny Welbeck tipped for surprise England recall
Brighton star Danny Welbeck has been tipped to return to the England squad for the first time since 2018, thanks to his stellar run of form for the Seagulls.
Tuchel is considering rewarding the forward with a call-up amid concerns about the country’s depth of strikers behind Harry Kane given Ollie Watkins‘ poor form.
That is according to former Man United and Blackburn chief scout Mick Brown, who remains very well-connected within the game, as he exclusively told Football Insider that calling up in-form players like Welbeck could win England the World Cup.
“Danny Welbeck is certainly in with a surprise shout for England,” he told Football Insider.
“Whenever England are coming up to a World Cup, we go through all of these qualifying games, and everybody has their opinion of who should be in the squads. They then play, and everybody’s disappointed because England didn’t win 5-0, and then they start saying this player should’ve been in or that player should’ve been in.
“We get to the competition, which we always qualify for, but then we face a team like Italy or Argentina, who are always up for that type of game, and we lose 1-0.
“When you play teams like that, there are always players who maybe you don’t expect or you haven’t heard much about, and it’s because they’re on form for their clubs. They pick the best performing players at the time, knowing they can be in that squad, at the top of their game, and for that tournament.
“With England, there’s always a focus on big names and whether people fit in, rather than it being the players who are performing well and will keep performing well.
“Whether it’s Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, or whoever, the focus seems to be on fitting these players in rather than utilising the players who have been at their best. That’s where Danny Welbeck would fit in, because he has been flying for Brighton lately.
“He’s scoring goals, he’s confident, he’s hungry, and he would come into the England squad with no drama and get on with playing the same as he does for Brighton.
“Those are the types of players England need, and he could win England the World Cup. It’s something different to what they’ve done in the past, and you have to think of a tournament as being one game at a time.
“The winners are good at solving one-game problems, and England haven’t been. You need players you know are going to be at their best, like Welbeck. We’re not blessed with an abundance of strikers anyway, so if somebody like him is playing as well as he has been, he should be in the squad.”
Anthony Gordon twist could hand Phil Foden an England recall
Anthony Gordon has been a regular in Tuchel’s squads since the boss’ appointment, but a recent injury blow could force the manager into a big change.
Eddie Howe confirmed Gordon’s injury in his post-match press conference, and it could rule him out of the England squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
As a result, Foden has been widely tipped to return to the squad thanks to his resurgent form for Man City despite what was a slow start to the season.
Foden has been immense for Man City in recent weeks, with the 25-year-old forcing himself back in as a nailed-on star in Pep Guardiola’s starting XI.
A brace in the Champions League group stage clash with Borussia Dortmund may have come at the perfect time to convince Tuchel into a major call.
For more England and exclusive news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.