Rashford returns as Tuchel announces first England squad

Marcus Rashford has been recalled by England manager Thomas Tuchel as he announced his first squad ahead of March’s World Cup Qualifiers.

England play Albania and Latvia at Wembley in their first World Cup 2026 qualifiers.

Rashford was frozen out by new Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim in December but his form has been impressive since joining Aston Villa on loan in January.

He has been rewarded with a return to the England set-up, having last featured for the Three Lions in March 2024 as a substitute against Brazil at Wembley.

There is also a surprise return to the squad for Jordan Henderson. The Ajax midfielder’s last appearance was in October 2023 against Australia.

Conor Gallagher, a midweek scorer for Atletico Madrid against Real Madrid in the Champions League, and Adam Wharton have been overlooked.

Kyle Walker has also been named. The full-back departed the Premier League and Manchester City for AC Milan in January.

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Elsewhere, Myles Lewis-Skelly earns his first senior call-up. The Arsenal midfielder, who can also play at left-back, never earned an U21 cap, but he did play for England at lower youth levels.

Tuchel has only included two recognised strikers in his 26-player squad – Harry Kane and Dominic Solanke.

There is no place for Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins.

There are also a number of players missing through injury, including Harry Maguire, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Lewis Hall, and Bukayo Saka.

See the England squad below:

Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Southampton), James Trafford (Burnley).

Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle United), Levi Colwill (Chelsea), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Reece James (Chelsea), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), Jarell Quansah (Liverpool), Kyle Walker (AC Milan, loan from Manchester City).

Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Jordan Henderson (Ajax), Curtis Jones (Liverpool), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa).

Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Marcus Rashford (Aston Villa, loan from Manchester United), Dominic Solanke (Tottenham Hotspur).

The Star