Thomas Tuchel is set to omit Liverpool’s Jarell Quansah from his first matchday squad, according to reports.
The defender was one of the 26 players called up by the England manager last week for his first two matches in charge. The Three Lions host Albania on Friday before Latvia travels to Wembley in the second of their World Cup qualifiers.
But Tuchel is only able to select a matchday squad of 23 and, as per the Telegraph, Quansah will miss out on facing Albania alongside Aaron Ramsdale and Morgan Gibbs-White. BBC Sports have subsequently reported similar, adding that Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Morgan Rogers, Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane are all expected to start against Albania.
Quansah was one of five center-backs called up by Tuchel, along with Dan Burn, Levi Colwill, Marc Guehi and Ezri Konsa. The Liverpool academy graduate’s selection was slightly surprising given his lack of starts this season for the Reds.
Of Liverpool’s 29 league matches this term, Quansah has started just two, and hasn’t been selected at center-back since the opening weekend of the season when he was replaced against Ipswich Town at half-time. He has largely operated as Arne Slot’s fourth choice in that role, behind Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez.
Quansah has started nine matches in cup competitions, including at right-back in Sunday’s Carabao Cup final defeat to Newcastle United. The 22-year-old endured some difficult moments up against Harvey Barnes and lacked the sort of offensive play Trent Alexander-Arnold routinely supplies.
(Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
But after a slow start to the season, Quansah impressed recently in the second half against Wolverhampton Wanderers and when introduced in the 73rd minute against Paris Saint-Germain.
“I think everybody has seen recently that he did really well and I see in training sessions that he is back to being the same Jarell that he was in pre-season,” Slot said last month.
“I think he had a bit of a hard time after being taken off at Ipswich and the first two or three games after that, when he came in, was also a bit of a struggle. And he’s just showing in the last two or three months, on the training pitch but also when he comes in, that he’s back to his old level.”
