LONDON — England manager Thomas Tuchel hailed the “incredible story” of the Bellingham family after handing Jobe his first call-up alongside older brother Jude for Nations League matches against Croatia and Spain.
Fulham teenager Josh King has also been included in the 25-man squad for the first time but there is no place for Chelsea forward Cole Palmer.
Midfielder Jobe Bellingham, 21, has been rewarded for a strong start to his second season at Borussia Dortmund, where Jude also played before moving to Real Madrid.
Tuchel said he had been a “standout” player for England’s under-21s and had become “very influential” for his club side this season.
“I think in general it’s an incredible achievement for the family and for the brothers to be both nominated for their national team, which is an incredible story in itself,” the England boss told a press conference at Wembley on Friday.
“Like I said, I was very happy to give him the call-up and I saw his excitement straight away and his smile. He has a very open and calm personality, so it was a very nice phone call of course because it was very good news,” he added according to AFP.
“We see him in the central midfield, so he’s one of five players now for the central midfield; he’s a more defensive player than his brother Jude, so he’s strong on the ball, good physique, a big body, a very physical player and can keep possession.”
Tuchel repeated his message that Palmer, who withdrew from England’s previous camp, “misses too many opportunities to impress”.
“It’s not personal and of course we will never assume that Cole is not in the mindset…to play for his country, but the competition is on and the players who were in camp did an amazing job and kept their place,” he said.
England are second in Group A3 after four games, having won three and lost one, against world champions Spain at Wembley.
The Three Lions host Croatia, whom they beat 7-0 last month, on Thursday before travelling to take on Spain with just one point needed to guarantee qualification for the knockout rounds of the Nations League in March.
Tuchel said he was targeting top spot in the group.
“We want to play under pressure and we want to play in the big occasions,” he said.
“We want to use the Nations League for exactly that, to be prepared in the best possible way for the Euros (in 2028).
“For me, Croatia is a crucial match to win, especially after the result that we got. We got a deserved result, but it was kind of a freak result. It does not reflect the quality of Croatia in general.”
Newly crowned Ballon d’Or winner Harry Kane is set to surpass Peter Shilton as England’s most-capped men’s player after drawing level with the former goalkeeper on 125 appearances against the Czech Republic in October.
“He wins the Ballon d’Or, and deservedly so, and in the next game for England he gets the all-time record with 126 matches,” said Tuchel.
