Thomas Tuchel has less than 18 months to assemble an England squad capable of winning the World Cup next summer.
Judging by the first squad he has selected, the Three Lions have no hope of lifting the prestigious trophy.
Tuchel has picked seven midfielders and one of them is Jordan Henderson. They are doomed if Tuchel thinks he’s one of England’s top seven midfield options.
Henderson’s return to the fold is a bad joke
Tuchel described Henderson as a ‘serial winner,’ which, let’s be brutally honest here, he isn’t – not by any stretch of the imagination.
Yes, he won a handful of trophies with Liverpool, but it didn’t happen regularly. As for success with England? None.
Conor Gallagher, Morgan Gibbs-White and Angel Gomes all have much stronger claims to have been selected by Tuchel.
Gibbs-White can feel particularly hard done by after playing a starring role in Nottingham Forest’s bid to qualify for the Champions League.
Crystal Palace star Adam Wharton is another glaring omission. Tuchel should build his midfield around him, not dump him in the U21 squad.
Henderson flopped in the Saudi Pro League after leaving Liverpool and has not been pulling up any trees in the Netherlands with Ajax.
Tuchel had a chance to make a real statement with his first squad. Recalling Henderson shows a lack of bravery on his part.
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What to watch
Bristol City versus Norwich City in the Championship is as good as it gets this evening. Have an early night.
