By Daily Sports Nigeria on May 23, 2025

England manager Thomas Tuchel will not release players early for the Club World Cup because he wants to "cherish" and "worship" every moment with his squad.

On Friday, Tuchel named his 26-man squad for a World Cup qualifer against Andorra (7 June) and a friendly against Senegal (10 June).

Eight members of the squad play for teams competing at the Club World Cup, which begins on 15 June - five days after England host Senegal at Nottingham Forest's City Ground.

The month-long Club World Cup is being held in the United States and England captain Harry Kane's Bayern Munich play Auckland City on the opening day of the tournament.

Chelsea, who have five players in the England squad, are the first Premier League club in action on 16 June.

Tuchel said no managers had been in touch with him about leaving players out of his plans.

"The discussion was very open," said the German.

"Very quickly we also understood this is a very important camp for us with one year to go until the Word Cup.

"Why send players if we want to cherish every day we have together. What signal would it send to the group to send players away?"

Tuchel, who oversaw victories against Albania and Latvia in his first two matches in March, said England will start and finish the camp with the same 26 players, adding that he will "manage their minutes".

"I was an advocate and I could see the reason for the players who go to the Club World Cup to maybe leave a little earlier, to maybe change the squad," Tuchel said.

"I can understand the argument from especially the clubs who would love to see the players get a rest but we have a strong argument for ourselves and our goals we want to reach.

"We are building a group and a togetherness. We want to develop a camaraderie and it is only possible if we take every day seriously."

Despite pressure from clubs participating in the Club World Cup, Tuchel has stuck to his guns.

Hired on a remit to win the 2026 World Cup, Tuchel stressed before his first match in charge that he only has a total of 60 days and 24 sessions with his squad before the tournament begins.

Five Chelsea players - Noni Madueke, Cole Palmer, Levi Colwill, Trevoh Chalobah and Reece James - are included in the squad.

Before the squad was announced, Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca said there was a lack of care for players' welfare when asked about his players receiving a call-up.

"It is not normal, it is not correct," said Maresca.

"I know people say they have money but it is not about money, it is about the health of the players. I don't think people pay attention to that."

Kane, 31, was always going to be selected given his role as captain, while Conor Gallagher has had a good season with Atletico Madrid in Spain.

But the selection of Jude Bellingham could prove more controversial.

The midfielder has postponed surgery on his shoulder until after the Club World Cup, a decision that will see him miss at least the first six weeks of the 2025-26 season.

The former Birmingham City midfielder has made 52 appearances for Real Madrid this season and could play up to an extra seven matches at the Club World Cup should the La Liga side reach the final.

• 25 May: Final Premier League games

• 28 May: Conference League final: Chelsea v Real Betis

• 31 May: Champions League final: PSG v Inter Milan

• 4-10 June: Six-day England camp including games on 7 June and 10 June

• 11-28 June: U21 European Championship

• 15 June -13 July: Club World Cup, including Manchester City, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, plus others

• 15 June: Bayern play first Club World Cup game

• 16 June: Chelsea play first game

• 18 June: Man City & Real Madrid play first games

• Mid-July: Pre-season matches begin, including overseas tours

• 9 August: Community Shield

• 13 August: Uefa Super Cup: Tottenham v Champions League winners

• 16 August: Start of 2025-26 Premier League season

Source BBC Sports

Posted May 23, 2025

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