Welbeck left out of England squad - Brighton hotshot overlooked as Foden and Bellingham return

Welbeck, who will be 35 later this month, has six goals to his name in the Premier League so far this season – the best total for any English forward in the top divisiob – and many expected him to be in today’s squad. The former Manchester United and Arsenal man has 16 goals from 42 appearances for England but last featured for his country way back in 2018, during a 1-0 win over Switzerland.

Former England players Wayne Rooney, Alan Shearer, Jermain Defoe and Rio Ferdinand had all backed Welbeck for an England call in recent days.

And Tuchel has proved he is keen on experience as he prepares for this summer's World Cup.

Both Dan Burn, 33, and Jordan Henderson, 35, have been selected for recent squads and Welbeck would have added to the list of England’s 30-somethings.

Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane will almost certainly be Tuchel's main attacker but Welbeck had been thought to be serious contender to be on the plane to North America this summer and provide a reliable back up to Kane.

If he carries on scoring Premier League goals for Albion, he still might be, of course.

Tuchel has recalled Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden to his squad for this month's internationals.

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler said before Welbeck’s omission: "I wouldn't swap Danny for any player in the world. The media, they always try to reward him for the goals, and that's in the end very important, but I try to judge him by his personality, how important he is for us as a player, as a person.

"Like I always try to emphasise, he's a great connector beside the pitch, he's a great leader beside the pitch, he's a great role model."

Welbeck joined Brighton in 2020 on a free transfer after an injury-hit spell at Watford. He has made 173 appearances for Brighton with 43 goals and 17 assists.

His omission is already prompting questions to Tuchel about who his back-up to Kane will be.

Full squad

Goalkeepers:

Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Newcastle United)

Defenders:

Dan Burn (Newcastle United), Marc Guéhi (Crystal Palace), Reece James (Chelsea), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Nico O'Reilly (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Tottenham Hotspur), John Stones (Manchester City)

Midfielders:

Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Alex Scott (AFC Bournemouth), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace)

Forwards:

Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona, loan from Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal).

Since the last England squad, here's who's back in – and who’s dropped out:

In: Nick Pope, Nico O'Reilly, Jude Bellingham, Alex Scott, Adam Wharton and Phil Foden.

Out: James Trafford, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Morgan Gibbs-White, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Ollie Watkins.