England Manager Tuchel Insists No Issue with Bellingham, Phil Foden, or Grealish
Thomas Tuchel has declared that he holds "no problem" with Phil Foden following the trio were left out the Three Lions team for upcoming fixtures against Latvia and Wales.
The midfielder has not been recalled even after recovering from a shoulder injury, while Foden and Grealish also miss out although displaying a return to form with their clubs.
The German manager revealed that the 22-year-old desired to be included of the squad, after a conversation with him via telephone.
"He is a special player, and for exceptional talents there can always be exceptions," the coach said about Bellingham, who has made just one start since returning to fitness.
"However we decided to maintain the straightforward choice of inviting the same group.
"Jude consistently merits to be here. There is also the situation that he has not quite regained his optimal form yet at his club - he has not completed a full game.
"The player wanted to be called up. We conducted a phone call."
Tuchel made an effort to emphasize his positive relationship with the midfielder following he said sorry to him earlier this year for calling his on-pitch behavior as "disgusting" in a televised interview.
The German stated that he uttered those terms "unintentionally" and would be more careful going forward.
Inquired if he had any issue with Bellingham, he responded: "None. There is also no problem with Phil Foden or Grealish.
"Phil is back to influencing and deciding games for his club. Grealish is almost to returning to the best version of himself.
"There is no personal problem."
Bukayo Saka taking the place of the injured Noni Madueke is the only change to the previous team, with Loftus-Cheek and Quansah keeping their spots after joining as late additions last month due to injury.
The Three Lions play Wales in a non-competitive match at Wembley Stadium on Thursday before a qualifying match in Riga on October 14.
If the team triumph in Latvia, they will require a maximum of two more points from their final two qualifiers - against Albania and Serbia in next month - to earn a place in the upcoming tournament in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
Strong Performance By Tuchel
The Three Lions delivered their finest performance significantly under the manager's guidance when they beat the Serbian team 5-0 on the road in Belgrade in their previous match.
The coach says that performance meant it an straightforward choice to keep mostly the same squad, though "there exist absolutely no guarantees" for any player regarding selection.
"The last camp was just a few weeks ago and the teamwork and morale was at its peak. That is the reason we decided to call up the same group to this camp," he commented.
"Foden is in a excellent run of form. Adam Wharton deserves to be with us. Curtis Jones and Trevoh Chalobah are earning minutes with their teams.
"There are players who warrant to be here. Palmer is unfit and is a special player. It will always be the case.
"Are we a stronger side with Bellingham? Yes. But I mentioned before, what do we do if he is injured before the World Cup? Do we just cancel?"
The Manager's Media Briefing Gets Noticed
The England manager once more gave a headline-grabbing news conference.
Tuchel, a master of managing his relationship with the press, began with an opening statement to set out his reasoning for his selections.
Bellingham is fit and available and expressed interest to come to camp, but the coach explained he preferred not to change the team significantly after a statement 5-0 win over their opponents - where the manager noted unity was extremely strong.
However with Tuchel not selecting the star, and his repeated comments about team spirit, it is hard not to link the aspects - although he insisted multiple times how he is "exceptional" and that there is "no problem" between him and one of England's star players.
Tuchel has always made it clear that he aimed to make the national team feel like a club side and, by keeping the identical selection after a big victory, he has done that. But the questions will arise once more in the next camp if the team perform strongly in these upcoming fixtures.