Five England stars that could return under Thomas Tuchel including Chelsea, Man Utd and AC Milan stars

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com 
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Visit Shots! now
Thomas Tuchel has been confirmed as the new England boss on an 18-month contract

The appointment of Thomas Tuchel marks a new chapter in the England national team and an opportunity for many new players to showcase their talents and stake their claim for a place in the squad in the build-up to the World Cup in less than two years' time.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

A change of manager at international level often sparks fresh ideas and brings in a clean slate. Even Lee Carsley’s brief reign as interim England boss brought new ideas for Tuchel to consider, with Angel Gomes getting his first ever England call-up after starring for both Lille and Carsley’s tournament-winning team at Under-21 level.

Carsley described Gomes as ‘different’ in profile to most other central midfielders that he had to pick from while his predecessor Gareth Southgate had spent most of last summer’s European Championships pining for a player like Kalvin Phillips. But who will benefit from Tuchel’s appointment when he arrives on an 18-month contract in January? Here we take a look at six England stars whose international careers could be rejuvenated or even kick-started by the Germans arrival. 

Reece James: Chelsea

Perhaps one of the most obvious names in this list, Chelsea captain Reece James would probably have been involved in some capacity at recent tournaments in Qatar and Germany had it not been for his injury woes.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

James was actually brought into the Blues first team by Frank Lampard, but it was with Thomas Tuchel that the Londoner really started to establish himself as one of the world’s best right backs. The 24-year-old was one of the main beneficiaries of Tuchel’s 5-3-2 system at Stamford Bridge and an integral part of the team that won the Champions League in 2021 while playing in an attacking right wing-back role.

James has a mixture of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s creative qualities and Kyle Walker’s defensive acumen - making him an asset in a number of positions across the back four. In April 2022, Tuchel even said that he would pick two versions of James as a right back and centre back if he could clone the 16-cap international.

Mason Mount - Manchester United

Thomas Tuchel was in charge of Chelsea for 100 matches and in that time no player appeared in more games than Mason Mount, who contributed an impressive 19 goals and 19 assists from 87 appearances, including crucial goals in both the quarter-final and semi-final of the Champions League. During Tuchel’s tenure at Chelsea, he rarely missed a game for club and country, but has struggled with injury problems since joining Manchester United for £55m.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He hasn’t been picked by England since 2022 but is a likely candidate for a spot in midfield if he can rediscover his fitness and form.

“He has the full package. Mentally, in terms of talent and physically and the most important part is his character, he has his feet on the ground and he’s a nice guy.” Tuchel told Sky Sports when describing Mount in 2022.

Ben White - Arsenal

Ben White is currently playing some of the best football of his club career, but has not featured for England in nearly two years since leaving the last World Cup squad early for personal matters. Gareth Southgate admitted back in March that White would have been a part of his plans but says that he chose not to make himself available for selection.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

White’s absence is something of an enigma at international level, and while Southgate denies any claims of a rift with the player and his coaching team, many outlets have speculated that the star was involved in a training ground fall-out with Steve Holland.

With Southgate out of the picture, Tuchel could have the opportunity to rejuvenate White’s international career and add to his list of options at both centre back and right back.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek - AC Milan

Ruben Loftus-Cheek hasn’t played for England in over six years and is a slightly forgotten member of the Three Lions team which reached the World Cup semi-final in 2018. He was overlooked for Euro 2024, despite a fine debut season with AC Milan which saw him tuck away 10 goals in 40 matches from midfield whilst helping his team to a second place finish and a Europa League quarter-final.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The 28-year-old is blessed with tremendous physicality and was a solid utility player for the Blues under Tuchel in both wing-back and central midfield. When discussing Loftus Cheek, Tuchel felt he had plenty of room to grow: “He wants to dominate opponents, not just be part of the game because I think he is too good to just be part of the group.”

Ben Chilwell - Chelsea

Thomas Tuchel was a huge fan of wing-backs during his time at Chelsea and while it is yet to be discovered what system he will adopt with the Three Lions, it is evident that there are few players better in that position on the left-hand side than Ben Chilwell when fully fit.

The ex-Leicester City man labelled Tuchel as an ‘unbelievable manager’ during his time at Chelsea and was a key asset in the team which won the Champions League with four goals and five assists across all competitions in 2020/21.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.

Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice