Tuchel explains why Eze kept England spot and reveals public apology to Mainoo over World Cup snub

Thomas Tuchel has defended Eberechi Eze’s inclusion in England’s Nations League squad despite the Arsenal forward barely featuring for his club, and revealed he made a public apology to Kobbie Mainoo for freezing him out at the World Cup.

Eze kept his place alongside Morgan Gibbs-White for the upcoming fixtures against Croatia and Spain, while Kobbie Mainoo, Phil Foden, and Cole Palmer were all omitted. Tuchel acknowledged Eze’s situation at Arsenal was far from ideal but said continuity tipped the balance.

“It’s also close for Eberechi Eze to keep his place with us — he’s not starting for Arsenal,” Tuchel said. “The advantage was that Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze come again into camp. Because they need to fight for it. That’s what we want.”

Foden was not entirely ruled out for the future, with Tuchel making clear the Manchester City playmaker remains firmly in his thinking. “Phil is always an option because I’m in love with him as a player,” the England head coach said. “What is not to love? If you see the boy train it’s just the highest, highest quality. It was very close.”

On Mainoo, Tuchel offered a candid account of how the Manchester United midfielder has been affected by a difficult run of events stretching back to last summer. Mainoo travelled to the United States for the World Cup but did not play a single minute, and Tuchel said he took direct responsibility for that decision.

“He was hugely disappointed from the World Cup, and deservedly so,” Tuchel said. “I said it in front of the team, in front of the staff, ‘Sorry that I didn’t pick you, you did nothing wrong, that is on me.’”

Tuchel added that Mainoo’s confidence appeared to take a knock in the aftermath, despite conducting himself impeccably throughout the tournament. The 20-year-old then withdrew from last month’s England camp through injury before enduring a prolonged spell on the sidelines, compounded by United’s sharp dip in form.

“I was desperate to give him the minutes. Desperate to include him in this new start, in Nations League. He pulled out,” Tuchel said. “And then entered a difficult, difficult spell for himself. He was injured now, for a long time. And Man United fell off a cliff a little bit performance-wise. So this is why he suffers from that.”

The comments paint a picture of a manager willing to hold himself accountable while navigating a crowded midfield and attacking pool ahead of England’s Nations League double-header.