Thomas Tuchel continues to show that he will give players a chance. The England international newcomer at the helm has so far been more inclusive and incorporating of players from all clubs compared to past managers.
His latest selections included, once again, Ezri Konsa and Morgan Rogers. After being excluded from Tuchel's first fixtures in charge of the Three Lions, Ollie Watkins has also seen his name join the English side.
England will play one World Cup Qualifier against Andorra in Spain on June 7th. They will then host Senegal on June 10th at the City Ground. Currently sitting atop Group K, the Three Lions will be looking to create more separation during the side's first June match.
They are a group with Albania, Latvia, and Serbia as well. With a three-point lead at the moment, another set of three points will go a long way to ensuring safe passage to the upcoming North American World Cup in 2026.
The inclusion of Al-Ahli's Ivan Toney does show the overall lack of striker depth at the moment. Although Toney has managed to score 20-plus goals in the Saudi League, it would be foolish to not acknowledge the significant gap between that league compared to that of, say, Ligue 1 or the Bundesliga, for example, let alone the Premier League.
It does suggest that if it weren't for the current injury to Marcus Rashford, the Villa attacker would have once again made the squad. Likely electing to exercise a degree of caution, it would be something of a complete shock if Rashford were to be later excluded when England face Andorra in September at Villa Park and then Serbia during the late-summer WC qualifiers.
Encouraging developments for Aston Villa players
In any event, the Tuchel selections show that the manager is more than willing to give repeat opportunities to those that the German feels are in good form and will help the team, regardless of prior prejudice or more recent call-up history.
For Aston Villa players, it shows once again what happens when managers do their due diligence and analyze the performances of the Villans, as the club continues to showcase its ability to foster and position players to succeed.