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Thomas Tuchel asserted that he holds "no problem" with Jude Bellingham after the trio were omitted the England team for upcoming matches against Wales and Latvia.

The midfielder has not been recalled even after returning from a shoulder injury, while Foden and Grealish are also absent despite showing improved form with their clubs.

The German manager revealed that the 22-year-old desired to be part of the selection, having spoken with him on the phone.

"Bellingham is a unique talent, and for special players there can always be special rules," Tuchel remarked regarding Bellingham, who has made just one start since returning to full health.

"But we decided to maintain the straightforward decision of inviting the identical squad.

"Bellingham consistently merits to be here. There is also the situation that he has not fully found his optimal form yet at Real Madrid - he has not completed a full match.

"He expressed a desire to be called up. We had a phone call."

The England boss made an effort to emphasize his positive relationship with Bellingham after he said sorry to him previously for describing his on-pitch behavior as "disgusting" in a televised interview.

The German stated that he uttered those terms "unintentionally" and would be more careful in future.

Inquired if he had a problem with the player, Tuchel responded: "No. There is no issue either with Phil Foden or Grealish.

"Phil is back to impacting and shaping games for his club. Jack is very close to being back to the best version of himself.

"There exists no personal problem."

Saka taking the place of the hurt Noni Madueke is the only change to the previous squad, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Jarell Quansah keeping their spots after being last-minute call-ups previously due to fitness concerns.

The Three Lions face Wales in a non-competitive match at Wembley on Thursday before a World Cup qualifier in Riga on 14 October.

Should England win in the away fixture, they will require a up to two points from their final two qualifiers - against Albania and Serbia in November - to earn a spot in the upcoming World Cup in North America.

Impressive Display By Tuchel

England delivered their best display by some distance under Tuchel's leadership when they defeated the Serbian team five-nil on the road in the Serbian capital last time out.

Tuchel stated that showing made it an easy decision to stick with largely the same squad, though "there are absolutely no guarantees" for every squad member regarding being picked.

"Our previous gathering was only three and a half weeks ago and the teamwork and spirit was at its peak. That is the reason we chose to call up the same group to this session," he said.

"Phil is in a very good moment. Adam Wharton merits to be with us. Curtis Jones and Chalobah are earning playing time with their clubs.

"We have players who warrant to be here. Cole Palmer is unfit and is a key talent. It will consistently remain like this.

"Is our team a better team with Jude? Absolutely. But I mentioned before, what do we do if Jude is injured before the tournament? Do we just cancel?"

The Manager's Press Conference Gets Noticed

Thomas Tuchel once more gave a headline-grabbing press briefing.

Tuchel, a master of handling his interactions with the press, started with an opening statement to set out his thinking for his selections.

Bellingham is fit and available and expressed interest to come to the squad, but Tuchel explained he preferred not to change the team significantly after a impressive five-goal win over their opponents - where the manager said team spirit was extremely strong.

However with him not selecting Bellingham, and his repeated remarks about team spirit, it is hard not to link the aspects - even though he said multiple times how Bellingham is "special" and that there is "no issue" between him and one of the national team's star players.

Tuchel has consistently made it clear that he wanted to make the England squad seem like a club team and, by keeping the identical selection after a big victory, he has done that. But the questions will arise once more in the next camp if England win well in these next two matches.