England’s Football Association made an embarrassing error this morning when announcing Thomas Tuchel’s squad for upcoming friendlies, incorrectly identifying Marc Guehi as a Crystal Palace player.
The 25-year-old centre-back actually completed a £20million move to Manchester City back in January.
Tuchel unveiled an expansive 35-man selection for matches against Uruguay and Japan, with every other player’s club affiliation correctly stated.
Even Marcus Rashford’s loan arrangement at Barcelona was properly noted in the official announcement.
The blunder stands out given Guehi now represents one of five City players called up by the German manager ahead of this summer’s World Cup in the United States.
Guehi has earned 26 caps for the Three Lions since making his international debut in March 2022, establishing himself as a key figure in the national setup.
Ironically, Tuchel was the manager who let him leave Chelsea, opting instead for Malang Sarr at Stamford Bridge, a decision that proved misguided.
England’s Football Association made an embarrassing error this morning when announcing Thomas Tuchel’s squad for upcoming friendlies, incorrectly identifying Marc Guehi as a Crystal Palace player
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PA
Palace secured the defender at a bargain price and he flourished at Selhurst Park, eventually wearing the captain’s armband and featuring in nearly 200 matches for the south London club.
Since arriving at the Etihad Stadium, the centre-back has quickly won Pep Guardiola’s confidence.
His importance to England was evident at Euro 2024, where he started every game bar one, missing only through suspension.
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Joining Guehi in the City contingent are goalkeeper James Trafford, midfielder Nico O’Reilly, experienced defender John Stones, and forward Phil Foden.
Tuchel has opted for considerable defensive depth, naming 11 players at the back in his substantial selection.
Fikayo Tomori returns to the fold, while Kobbie Mainoo also features among the defensive options.
The centre-back partnership for the World Cup remains an open question, with Stones and Harry Maguire having been Gareth Southgate’s preferred pairing at recent tournaments.
Ezri Konsa, another regular under previous management, will have the opportunity to stake his claim during this final pre-tournament camp.
Tuchel may ultimately field a defence comprised entirely of Chelsea academy products, with Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall both in contention.
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PALevi Colwill, currently sidelined with an ACL injury, remains a serious doubt for the summer tournament despite previous international experience, while Reece James missed selection after suffering another hamstring setback last week.
Explaining his decision to call up such a large group, Tuchel said: “We decided to divide it into basically two camps almost, so we bring players in that we haven’t seen who haven’t played so much to open up the picture, and the competition for plane tickets to the US.”
The manager added that 10 or 11 players would join from Friday and Saturday after being given initial rest, creating a fresh mix for the Japan fixture.
England face Uruguay next Friday before meeting Japan on Tuesday, March 31.
