The players with points to prove as England reach World Cup

England confirmed qualification for next summer’s World Cup with victory over Latvia in Riga on Tuesday, enabling head coach Thomas Tuchel to start finalising his plans as the countdown to the tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States continues.

Competition for places will be intense, with disappointment inevitable for some of those who have played a part in England’s smooth qualifying campaign.

The jockeying for positions will continue over the next months – so who are those players with something to prove to Tuchel as he considers England’s squad to take to the World Cup?

It is inconceivable that Jude Bellingham will not be part of England’s squad at the World Cup but does the Real Madrid star, who is arguably the biggest global name available to Thomas Tuchel, still have something to prove to the head coach?

The recent evidence on and off the pitch suggests he does.

It all stems from Bellingham being left out of England’s latest squad despite telling Tuchel he wanted to be included, to the constant narrative of team spirit and the excellence of Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers in the number 10 role.

England’s next squad for what are effectively dead rubbers against Serbia and Albania will now have one main point of interest, namely whether Bellingham is included.

If he is, Bellingham will return to duty having been made acutely aware by Tuchel that there is no star system, no special cases, no automatic route back into England’s team.

And it will also come after it has been made crystal clear that Tuchel’s England world does not revolved around Bellingham and how best to utilise his undoubted talent.

Bellingham is not exactly starting again with England – the odds will still be on him being in the line-up their first game in next summer’s World Cup – but he has to prove to Tuchel that he can be part of the team spirit the German cherishes, and that he deserves his place back in the side.

The England star famously mouthed “who else?” when scoring a spectacular stoppage-time overhead kick when England beat Slovakia in the last 16 at Euro 2024, but he now knows there are others Tuchel is willing to consider.

Cole Palmer’s England career has, so far, been a mixed bag ranging from the moment of brilliance that gave England hope with the equaliser against Spain in what was eventually a losing cause in the Euro 2024 final in Berlin, to other occasions when he has left even supporters of his superb talent wanting more.

Palmer’s current problem is a lingering groin injury. Further down the line it will be the Chelsea star performing in consistently eye-catching fashion that might persuade Tuchel to find a place for the 23-year-old in what is already a crowded area.

Tuchel is unlikely to start fitting square pegs in round holes so close to a major tournament – therefore Palmer, who has only played 64 minutes under the German, has work to do.

He is unlikely to get in as the 10, with Rogers currently in possession and Bellingham waiting in the wings.

It is hard to see a place on the flanks, where he is less effective, with Anthony Gordon and Marcus Rashford contenders on the left and Arsenal pair Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke fighting for a place on the right.

This effectively means Palmer will have to produce a spectacular run of form to force his way back into Tuchel’s thinking.

Manchester City’s brilliant 25-year-old was, along with Bellingham, a stand-out exclusion from Tuchel’s squad for the friendly against Wales and the World Cup qualifier against Latvia in Riga.

Foden, who has won two caps under Tuchel, has been rebuilding form and confidence with an excellent start to the season after a poor campaign last term.

And he will do all this with his sights set on the World Cup.

He was a permanent fixture in Sir Gareth Southgate’s plans up to Euro 2024, but getting Foden and Bellingham in the same team was often a struggle and never felt like a neat fit at the time, with the former often out on the left rather than his preferred central role.

No-one, least of all Tuchel, can ignore Foden’s talent but he must continue to impress to reclaim what was once an automatic place in England’s squad.

Like Palmer, Foden operates in what is now a congested place under Tuchel, whether it is in the centre or pushed out wide.

Never rule a player of Foden’s quality out, but he has a fight on his hands to make England’s World Cup squad.

This ship may have already sailed.

Trent Alexander-Arnold’s World Cup hopes were already in deep trouble even before he sustained the hamstring injury that has interrupted the start to his Real Madrid career.

If Alexander-Arnold has been looking for signs of a bright England future under Tuchel, then not many of them are promising.

He played former Liverpool team-mate Curtis Jones, a midfield player, ahead of him at right-back in the 1-0 win away to Andorra then dropped Alexander-Arnold completely for the return World Cup qualifiers with Andorra and visit to Serbia.

This came after Tuchel appeared to publicly cast doubt on Alexander-Arnold’s defensive capabilities when he spoke about his influence at Liverpool, saying: “If he wants to have this impact in the English national team, then he has to take the defensive part very, very seriously.”

Tuchel is also a big admirer of another right-back, Reece James, who played under him at Chelsea, although he has had injury problems of his own.

Alexander-Arnold may have to make other plans for the summer unless his form for Real can force a change of heart from Tuchel.

Jack Grealish has been a player and personality reborn since joining Everton on loan from Manchester City, but Tuchel saw fit to ignore the clamour for an England recall when he selected his latest squad.

Tuchel is a confirmed Grealish fan but, at present, it is hard to see where the midfielder would fit into England’s plans, and who would make way to accommodate him.

Grealish can join names like Palmer and Foden, who both face a fight to win places either as the 10 or on the flank.

This is not to denigrate Grealish’s form, which has already made him a hero with Everton’s fans, but a brutal reality.

Tuchel may also want to see Grealish produce consistently over 20 Premier League games rather than the seven so far. This is the task facing the popular 30-year-old if he is to put himself back in World Cup contention.

Adam Wharton has been outstanding for Crystal Palace for a long time now, running games against elite opponents, especially Manchester City when the Eagles won the FA Cup at Wembley last season, and in the win against Premier League champions Liverpool recently.

Wharton’s loping, languid style may sometimes disguise a classy, fiercely competitive midfielder, but his England breakthrough has not arrived, despite going to Germany as part of Southgate’s Euro 2024 squad.

He is yet to get his first minutes under Tuchel and was another surprise omission.

Wharton’s only England cap came under Southgate against Bosnia & Herzegovina in June 2024, when he made a 28-minute appearance as a substitute.

Like others, he is still waiting for his chance to make his mark as Nottingham Forest’s Elliott Anderson has taken the opportunity handed to him by Tuchel with excellent performances, looking right at home on the international stage.

Tuchel has made all the right noises, even down to contacting Wharton to re-assure him he is in his thoughts.

Wharton, however, has still not made Tuchel’s squad so he is another who must continue to press his case to finally get some action under England’s head coach.

Barcelona is the latest stop on Marcus Rashford’s road to redemption after being exiled by Manchester United – but he still has a way to travel to re-establish himself as a permanent fixture in England’s squad.

If the 27-year-old needed any reminding that he still has to prove himself to be fixed firmly in Tuchel’s World Cup plans, he only needed to listen to the head coach’s words before the World Cup qualifier against Latvia in Riga.

Tuchel said: “It’s not a question of talent. It’s a question of whether he can prove the point at club and international level.”

It never has been a question of Rashford’s talent, it is the times when he has lost his way after producing stunning performances in spells that raise doubts.

He has to produce consistency at Barcelona then, as Tuchel suggests, “prove the point” with England as well.

Rashford knows Tuchel has faith in his ability – he is selecting him for starters – but the warning is clear. He cannot afford to slip, or fail to prove his point, otherwise others are ready and waiting to take his place.

When Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly scored the first goal of the Tuchel era against Albania in March, becoming the youngest player to score on his senior England debut, aged 18 years and 176 days, he not only looked like a superstar in the making but the answer to the problem left-back position.

He may well still be, starting England’s victory in Latvia, but has a potentially major problem ahead that Tuchel has already made reference to.

And it is a problem that comes in the imposing shape of Riccardo Calafiori.

England apart, Lewis-Skelly has been ousted from Arsenal’s left-back slot by the Italian this season, starting only two games for the Gunners and playing only 263 minutes.

This is not a question of Lewis-Skelly’s quality – that is there for all to see. This is a question of how much football he will play.

It is a subject that has already been exercising Tuchel’s mind, even though he played Lewis-Skelly in Riga.

It is clear that unless he can find his way back into Arsenal’s starting line-up, Tuchel may face a difficult choice with the gifted youngster, saying: “Maybe it becomes a problem for him, yeah.

“Being a good team-mate in camp may not be good enough to stay the whole year with us. You have to perform at club level on a regular basis.”

Lewis-Skelly’s task is clear. He may yet claim the left-back berth if Tuchel is unable to find a better alternative but he cannot rely on past credit. He has to find a way into Arsenal’s starting line-up.

Jordan Henderson has a huge admirer in Tuchel. He was an instant inclusion for his first squad in March, winning a recall after being absent from England duty since November 2023.

It was a pick that raised eyebrows but Tuchel was unmoved, continuing to keep faith with Brentford’s veteran midfielder, even to the exclusion of Palace’s Wharton, saying: “He embodies everything we are trying to build.”

No-one could ever question the desire and attitude of one of the game’s most consummate professionals, but Henderson will be 36 during next summer’s World Cup, which will be played in gruelling conditions in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Tuchel has praised Henderson’s influence around camp, and his impact can already be seen at Brentford, but he will need to be seen as someone who will figure on the pitch as well. There is no room for non-playing figureheads at a major tournament.

Plenty question Tuchel’s wisdom on this decision. It remains to be seen how much longer he will include Henderson, so the former Liverpool captain must produce high-class performances with Brentford consistently to stop eyebrows being raised further.

Morgan Gibbs-White is a real talent and the Nottingham Forest player has won four caps under Tuchel, who is clearly an admirer of his quality.

The problem for Gibbs-White may come with competition for places in the areas he likes, especially with Bellingham, Palmer and Foden not currently in England’s squad and Aston Villa’s Rogers producing excellence.

This is no slight on Gibbs-White, who has been outstanding at Forest. Tottenham Hotspur thought they had signed him in a £60m deal during the transfer window but were left desperately disappointed when Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis persuaded him to stay by offering an improved contract.

It is simply that, when the final numbers take shape, Gibbs-White could be in an area where there are just too many names to fit into a limited pot.

Gibbs-White has the ability to be in that shake-up, although he may hope for some stability at the City Ground, where new manager Ange Postecoglou is already under pressure after the sacking of Nuno Espirito Santo, who got Forest into Europe and also got the best out of the 25-year-old.

The understudy to England captain Harry Kane is always a thorny issue with options seemingly limited beyond Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins.

Spurs striker Dominic Solanke and Chelsea’s Liam Delap will want to be in Thomas Tuchel’s thoughts but both are currently troubled by injuries.

Arsenal’s Eberechi Eze operates in an area of the pitch where England competition is red-hot, but he offers variety and versatility, so that may well bolster his claims when the time comes for Tuchel to name his squad.

The same may just apply to Newcastle United’s Dan Burn with limited choices in central defence and left-back, but he will need to maintain good form and there are still questions about his quality at international level.

Everton’s Jordan Pickford is unchallenged as goalkeeper with Crystal Palace’s Dean Henderson as his understudy – but what does the England future hold for James Trafford?

He is currently third choice but had hoped to challenge Pickford for top spot after he moved from Burnley to Manchester City.

This plan unravelled somewhat when City bought world-class Italian Gianluigi Donnarumma from Paris St-Germain, Trafford losing his place immediately.

City manager Pep Guardiola has insisted Trafford will get game time – but will it be enough to make Tuchel feel comfortable about his match sharpness?

Arsenal’s Declan Rice believes England have the all-round quality to cope with any squad issues, saying: “I think every time you play for England you want to grab the shirt, you want to grab your chance. We do miss Jude for sure, we miss Phil, we miss Cole, we miss loads of players that have not been turning up for reasons the manager has said.

“We are an unreal team when they are in the team as well. What they have done for England in an England shirt is nothing short of incredible. We are looking forward to having them next camp hopefully, as a team we want to keep integrating as many people as possible before the World Cup.”