Thomas Tuchel kept his cards close to his chest with a coy answer when asked why Trent Alexander-Arnold was left out of the England squad. Alexander-Arnold is one of several high-profile names left out of England’s extended 35-man squad for the upcoming friendlies against Uruguay and Japan.

Among the players who might’ve felt hard done by to miss out on the squad are: Nick Pope, Luke Shaw, Conor Gallagher, Morgan Gibbs-White, Ollie Watkins, Alex Scott and Ivan Toney. There could also be an argument made for the likes of Harvey Barnes, Jarrad Branthwaite, and Danny Welbeck, who have all impressed of late.

On the decision to exclude Alexander-Arnold, the German coach said: “I know it’s a tough decision for Trent as it is for Ollie Watkins and Luke Shaw. These tough decisions come from the job. It’s a sporting decision we stick with Tino Livramento, Djed Spence and Jarell Quansah who can all play at right-full back.

“It’s a decision for Dominic Solanke and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, which I don’t know in comparison with Ollie Watkins. I have a clear picture of him, I’ve seen him in tournaments, in qualifying football. I want to look at two other players to get a better picture and get a clear opinion.

“It’s a tough one, it’s a big name, a huge talent and a big career, but I know what Trent can give us and have decided to stick with the players we have.”

He continued: “A slightly different profile I would say. It’s more the evidence we have that they were very good in September, October and November, than it has anything to do with what Trent cannot offer.

“I know very well what Trent can offer us. I played many times against him and suffered when he played against my team at Liverpool. I know what he can give, but at the moment, we have evidence of how good we were in September, October and November. But the players who are in camp for right back, they have to push for their ticket, they have to show they deserve this spot.”

Tuchel explained that the larger squad is to give himself and his coaching team a better look at some players who might be on the edges of the squad. What’s more, the ex-Chelsea manager explained not every player included will feature in the first friendly next week.

They include: Dean Henderson, Dan Burn, Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa, Nico O’Reilly, Elliot Anderson, Declan Rice, Morgan Rogers, Anthony Gordon, Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka.

He said: “All of these guys have played over 3500 minutes, some have played more than 4000. Some have already played more minutes than they did last season and there are more matches to play.

“All of these players contributed in September, October and November so they have some credit with me. To give them a break, mentally and physically, we will benefit from it. Once they come the headline will change from the competition for minutes, but it’s about reconnecting the group and to our standards.”

Full England squad for March international

Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Manchester City), Aaron Ramsdale (Newcastle United), Jason Steele (Brighton & Hove Albion)

Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle United), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Lewis Hall (Newcastle United), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Tottenham Hotspur), John Stones (Manchester City), Fikayo Tomori (AC Milan)

Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), James Garner (Everton), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace)

Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds United), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Noni Madueke (Arsenal), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona, loan from Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Dominic Solanke (Tottenham Hotspur)