Trent Alexander-Arnold returns to England squad with Palmer as Ngumoha picked

Thomas Tuchel has recalled Trent Alexander-Arnold and Cole Palmer in his first England squad since the World Cup and found space for the Liverpool winger Rio Ngumoha. Alex Scott has also been selected and there are call-ups for Lewis Hall, Jarrad Branthwaite, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Myles Lewis-Skelly, who is in as a midfielder. There is again no place for Phil Foden, Morgan Gibbs-White or Adam Wharton. Fulham’s Josh King has been overlooked. Alexander-Arnold won the most recent of his 34 caps in June 2025 and returns with Reece James not in the squad. Tuchel said James was injured and that he would have selected Ben White but for injury. “It’s a chance for Trent to claim what he feels is his – his place on the right side,” said the England head coach, who added: “He always said he’s up for a fight … It’s on him to prove.” Tuchel said he believed Alexander-Arnold and Palmer felt they had “a point to prove” but warned it was up them, and others, to justify their selection. Palmer missed out on the World Cup after struggling for form and fitness last season but has begun this campaign brightly with four goals and two assists. “It is one thing to be nominated, by the way, like with Cole and getting your ticket back in the squad, but it’s another thing to perform for England,” Tuchel said. “This also counts. Especially also Cole needs to step up when he comes and needs to show these kind of numbers and these kind of performances to get his place, to keep his shirt and to justify the nomination.” Scott was called up last November for games against Serbia and Albania but did not play and was not selected for the World Cup, although he was one of four youngsters included as training players for England’s camp in Florida before the tournament. Ngumoha was also among those training players and his one England appearance came against New Zealand in a warm-up game. The 18-year-old has not begun a league match for Liverpool since the opening day but has made five appearances and also started against Atlético Madrid in the Champions League and Tottenham in the Carabao Cup. Tuchel said of Scott: “Alex has been maybe one of the best performers in the Premier League since the start of the season. Individually he’s one of the outstanding midfielders.” Eberechi Eze has kept his place despite an underwhelming start to the season with Arsenal, starting none of their Premier League fixtures. Kobbie Mainoo, unused at the World Cup, is also in the squad. Tino Livramento, who had to withdraw from the World Cup squad with an injury, has been picked. Dean Henderson, Djed Spence, Dan Burn, John Stones and Jordan Henderson, who went to the World Cup, are injured. Three other World Cup players, Noni Madueke, Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney, are not included and there is no place for Levi Colwill. Tuchel said he would have kept more of the World Cup squad together given the chance, saying some of the absent players had been “crucial for us in building the brotherhood, in building the spirit and taking care of the mentality that took us a long way in the tournament”. Calvert-Lewin’s four goals from six Leeds games this season have put him back into the squad and Tuchel said King was “very close” to a call-up. “The decision was not to invite too many players,” he said. “There must be a real chance to get minutes in the No 10 position.” England open their Nations League group A3 campaign at home to Spain next Saturday before facing Czechia either side of a game in Croatia.