Thomas Tuchel included three Crystal Palace players in his first England squad, just days after sending a text message to four first-team stars from the Premier League club.
Tuchel named his 26-man squad on Friday morning ahead of World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia later this month.
There were a number of surprise inclusions, including Kyle Walker, Jarell Quansah and Ajax midfielder Jordan Henderson, who has been preferred to the likes of Morgan Gibbs-White and Adam Wharton.
In fact, many thought Wharton was destined for a place in Tuchel’s squad after the German manager sent a text message to the midfielder ahead of Palace’s Premier League clash against Ipswich Town.
Tuchel contacted Wharton as well as Marc Guehi, Eberechi Eze and Dean Henderson, according to the latter, who opened up about the message in a recent interview.
“I’ll be honest, I’d love to play for England this time around, I’d love to get a cap, another cap. I’m chasing that – it’s one of my goals,” said Henderson.
“He [Tuchel] texted before the game, and it’s nice to know that he’s watching. He wrote he’d be at the game and be in the stands watching, just wished me all the best. He did, alongside Adam [Wharton], Marc [Guehi] and Ebs [Eberechi Eze] as well, so it’s nice to know he’s watching.”
Henderson added: “All I can do is control what I can control – that’s my job for the team, and the way the manager wants me to play; showing up in big moments, which I have been doing.”
Tuchel included Guehi, Eze and Henderson in his plans, while Wharton was included in Lee Carsley’s under-21 squad for upcoming friendlies against Portugal and France.
Tuchel was in attendance for Palace’s 1-0 win over Ipswich on March 8. Image credit: Getty
Wharton impressed in their 4-1 win over Aston Villa at the end of February and was awarded the Man of the Match award as Tuchel watched on from the stands.
But it appears his recent performances for the Eagles were not enough as the German named Curtis Jones, Declan Rice, Morgan Rogers, Jude Bellingham and Jordan Henderson in his first squad.
Speaking on his decision to include Henderson, Tuchel said: “We called Hendo back up because I think his career, and the way he plays now and imposes himself at Ajax, is just so impressive. He builds it on character, personality and energy.
“For me, Jordan is a similar call-up to Dan Burn. They carry these values on their shoulders. They carry their teams. They are absolutely reliable what they bring in terms of energy.”
Tuchel added: “This is also where the focus is for us, to build as quick as possible a cohesive team. Jordan is a big piece in that puzzle for us.”
