England manager Thomas Tuchel has again left out Chelsea forward Cole Palmer, saying the 24-year-old has “misses too many opportunities to impress”.
Palmer was also omitted from England’s squad for their previous matches in early autumn and will not feature against Croatia at Wembley on Thursday, 12 November or Spain in Madrid on Sunday, 15 November.
Fulham midfielder Josh King and Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jobe Bellingham have received their first senior England call-ups instead.
“We have enough number 10s and we stick to the guys who were in the previous camp because we were happy with the two and a half weeks we had together,” Tuchel said.
“We have Josh King as a new player in there, but I want to see him on both wings. He is kind of an extra player and he can play all four positions.
“I guess everyone is desperate to play for England and Cole is no exception.
“We are speaking now about a player that is not in camp. It counts when you are in camp and I just said last time that he misses too many opportunities to impress.”
Jobe Bellingham, 21, joins his older brother Jude in the squad. They could become the first brothers to appear in an England line-up since Gary and Phil Neville.
England are second behind Spain in Nations League group A3, having won three matches and lost one. A point from their final two games will secure a place in the two-legged quarter-finals in March. The winners of those ties will progress to the Nations League Finals in June.
Bellingham earns first senior call-up
Both Bellingham brothers came through the Birmingham City academy and were regulars in England youth teams.
Jobe moved from Sunderland to Dortmund in summer 2025 in a deal worth up to £31m, after helping the Wearside club win promotion to the Premier League through the play-offs. Jude, 23, played for Dortmund from 2020 to 2023 before joining Real Madrid.
Tuchel said England Under-21 manager Lee Carsley had spoken “very highly” of Jobe “for a while”.
“He is the captain of the under-21s so I think the door should always be open and the pathway should always be open for special performances over a long period of time and that is what Jobe has done,” he said.
“He found his way and his rhythm with Dortmund, where he has had an excellent start to the season. He is a regular starter there and now very influential.”
Jobe has been selected ahead of Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, who Tuchel said had experienced a “difficult spell with his club”. Mainoo withdrew early from the previous squad.
“The door is always open for younger players to overtake and make their mark,” Tuchel added.
King, 19, has scored two Premier League goals and provided one assist this season. The Fulham academy graduate has represented England at every youth level and has scored once in nine appearances for the Under-21s.
Tuchel described King as “a fantastic character” who “gives us a bit of flexibility”.
“We decided to nominate 22 outfield players for flexibility in training and he is the extra player in training, if you will,” he said.
Saka among absentees
Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka misses the November matches after suffering a quadriceps injury against Bayern Munich last month. The Premier League champions expect the 25-year-old to be out for six weeks.
Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott is also absent after being injured against Croatia in October. He made his England debut during the first international break of the season and could return for Bournemouth against Ipswich on Sunday.
Marcus Rashford and Tino Livramento, who withdrew from the previous squad with hip and knee injuries respectively, have not been selected. Como defender Trevoh Chalobah is also missing, while Manchester City players Nico O’Reilly and Rico Lewis are absent.
James Garner and Morgan Gibbs-White retain their places after being added to the previous squad before any matches were played. Ben White and Djed Spence return for the first time since the summer.
Declan Rice and Ezri Konsa, who both withdrew from the last England squad, are fit and included.
England squad
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Jason Steele (Brighton & Hove Albion), James Trafford (Leeds United)
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Real Madrid), Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton), Marc Guehi (Manchester City), Lewis Hall (Newcastle United), Ezri Konsa (Arsenal), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Inter Milan), Ben White (Arsenal)
Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Manchester City), Jobe Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), James Garner (Everton), Josh King (Fulham), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), Declan Rice (Arsenal)
Forwards: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds United), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest), Anthony Gordon (Barcelona), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Rio Ngumoha (Liverpool), Morgan Rogers (Chelsea)
