Three England players who must use Wales clash to cement their spot in Thomas Tuchel’s squad
Thomas Tuchel has just a handful of matches remaining until he must decide who makes the cut for the England squad travelling to the World Cup.
Elliot Anderson was the greatest discovery during the Three Lions’ clashes against Andorra and Serbia during the last international window, with Reece James also cementing his spot at right-back.
With England sitting top of Qualification Group K after five matches, yet to concede a single goal, with Albania and Latvia also featuring. A place at the 2026 World Cup is inevitable.
However, it is all about how Tuchel’s team perform once they qualify for the tournament, with the Three Lions still waiting on silverware since the 1966 World Cup win at Wembley Stadium.
Multiple changes keep being made to the squad, so these three players need to take their upcoming chance against Wales on Thursday, 9 September, to prove why they should get a seat on the plane.
Nico O’Reilly
Nico O’Reilly replaced Reece James, who pulled out of the squad for precautionary reasons, with the young full-back potentially being handed his first-ever cap at the senior level.
At just 20 years of age, Pep Guardiola has unearthed yet another gem for Man City to nurture, and with four Premier League starts under his belt already this season, nothing appears to faze him.
The left-back spot is one of the biggest flaws in the England squad, and if he can impress against Craig Bellamy‘s side, Tuchel may feel that he is able to fix that problem ahead of the World Cup.
Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford could still have a future at Man United, with the winger currently on loan in La Liga. In his last seven matches in all competitions, he has notched three goals and four assists.
It was a tough start to life in Spain, but now that he has found form, his return to the England squad was largely unsurprising. However, those he was chosen over were a little baffling.
Jack Grealish was left out of the squad, and so too was Phil Foden, so there is plenty of competition for the same position. Unless Rashford can prove himself against Wales, he could be swapped for the Everton loanee.
Ollie Watkins
Lastly, with Harry Kane always on target for the Three Lions and Bayern Munich, there is very rarely a chance for Ollie Watkins to prove himself through the middle, at least not as a substitute.
But the game against Wales is only a friendly fixture, which should see his competition rested for the upcoming qualifier, and the Aston Villa star needs the perfect chance to prove his doubters wrong.
Watkins has just one goal in 10 appearances so far this season, so once someone like Liam Delap returns from injury, there might be the possibility of the 29-year-old not making it out to the World Cup.