THOMAS TUCHEL shared a hug with England newbies Dan Burn and Myles Lewis-Skelly as the stars arrived at St George’s Park.
Tuchel – who famously led Chelsea to the Champions League in 2021 – prepares for his first two Three Lions games in charge.
England play Albania on Friday and Latvia next Monday – both at Wembley – in World Cup qualifying matches.
And the players beamed as they reported to training for life under their new boss.
Newcastle’s Burn – who was no doubt still on cloud nine after heading home in the historic League Cup final win over Liverpool – and Arsenal’s Lewis-Skelly were greeted with big hugs by Tuchel.
The defensive pair are in line for senior debuts in what could be a new-look England backline.
There was also old faces in Jordan Henderson and Marcus Rashford – both left out of Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2024 squad last summer.
Rashford is without a goal since joining Aston Villa on loan from Manchester United but he has four assists to his name.
His last England cap came off the bench against Brazil in a March 2024 friendly – which ended in a 1-0 loss.
Henderson – who has captained Ajax this season – has not played internationally since November 2023.
The former Sunderland midfielder was seen sharing a laugh with Newcastle’s Burn.
And Tuchel previously said: “I truly believe that Dan Burn and Jordan Henderson have every chance to be with us at the World Cup.
“Football in general and maybe even more international football is about team spirit, it is about building a team that loves to play with each other, that transports the spirit to the fans, the nation and the country.
“It is about building a brotherhood so we cannot only do it with young players and we cannot only do with experienced players.
“It has to be a good balance and a good mix in my opinion and that’s what we’re trying to do.
“Without doubt, players like Dan Burn and Jordan Henderson bring something to a group from leadership and devotion and being humble and from setting the standards and taking care about the respect in the group.
“I am surprised that Dan was never called up. He is such a tall guy but obviously it is easy to overlook him.”
Eyebrows were initially raised when Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White was left out by Tuchel.
But Gibbs-White joined up with the squad in place of injured Chelsea star Cole Palmer – with the Forest man twice capped at senior level already.
Chelsea captain James – not capped by England since 2023 – reunited with ex-Blues boss Tuchel after making a return to club competition.
The human tuch
ENGLAND’S new boss Thomas Tuchel has announced his first squad – to mixed reaction.
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