England head coach Thomas Tuchel has admitted he had to make several difficult phone calls to veteran players left out of his latest squad, including Chelsea’s Jordan Henderson.

Tuchel has named his 25-man England squad for the November international break, during which they will play two Nations League fixtures against Croatia and Spain.

It is a relatively young squad, with Everton’s Jordan Pickford and Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane among the few veterans in the team.

Morgan Rogers is surprisingly the only Chelsea representative in the latest Three Lions squad, with Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill missing out despite being available. 

Reece James, who is still recovering from knee surgery, obviously did not make the cut, but neither did experienced midfielder Henderson, despite the pair’s involvement in England’s World Cup campaign last summer.

Tuchel admitted that he was “a bit concerned” when England leaders, including Henderson and James, had to miss the national camp in the last international break.

“(These are) players who were really responsible for the atmosphere, the attitude, the energy in the World Cup,” the England boss explained in Friday’s press conference.

“They played this huge part, not only in minutes, but for the atmosphere and the standards throughout the camp.

“I was a bit worried there when we missed so many of them.

“But then the group found their own way, their new leadership, and a new way to engage with each other, new voices to set the standards. 

“Now we have more choices, and yeah, I had to give Dan (Burn) and Jordan Henderson, for example, difficult phone calls– Dean Henderson as well- which was very difficult because I’m very aware of what they did for us during qualifiers and during the World Cup.

“I think they built a very strong foundation that the (current) players benefit from.

“But we took the decision to give them the chance as a proof of concept. Can we do it again without these big personalities?”

It is hardly a surprise that Tuchel is reluctant to continue relying on 36-year-old Henderson. However, the younger Colwill and Palmer have missed out on England camps too often, which could hurt their international careers.

Palmer has not played for England since March, while Colwill last featured for the national team in June 2025. Both struggled with injuries recently, so it has clearly played a part, but still, given the fierce competition for England spots, it could prove difficult to re-enter the picture.

There is only one international break left in the 2026/27 season, which will take place in late March, before the Nations League finals in June.

Colwill and Palmer’s absences from the last several England camps further reduce their chances of their inclusion in March, obviously. However, they can still show that they deserve England spots through their performance with Chelsea in the next few months.

That said, from Chelsea’s perspective, the pair’s omissions could prove beneficial ahead of the busy November and December fixtures.

The Blues will make the trip to Sunderland on Sunday before heading into the two-week international break, and will return to action with a home league fixture against Leeds United on November 21.

Chelsea will only play three games in November, but December starts with a home derby against Crystal Palace, followed by back-to-back big games against Liverpool and Manchester City.