England squad: Cole Palmer, Phil Foden and Kobbie Mainoo left out as Jobe Bellingham and Josh King called up

Chelsea's Palmer was hugely disappointed when he was overlooked for the World Cup in the summer after a stop-start season due to injury, and he withdrew from the last England camp in September and October because of a minor fitness issue, but he has been back to his best this season with five goals and three assists in 11 appearances.

England made medical checks with Chelsea on Thursday over Palmer and Sky Sports News understands those checks confirmed he was fully fit and ready to take a full part in England's upcoming Nations League matches against Croatia and Spain.

Speaking about Palmer's omission on Friday, Tuchel said the "door is always open" for him and added: "I guess everyone is desperate to play for England, Cole is no exception. It counts when you're in camp. I said last time, he misses too many opportunities to impress. The players who were in camp built something extraordinary.

"It's not personal. We'll never assume Cole isn't in the mindset to come and play for his country but the competition is on and the players in the [last] camp did an amazing job."

Manchester United midfielder Mainoo also withdrew from the previous squad with an unspecified injury having failed to feature at the World Cup despite being selected.

Tuchel stressed the importance of attending England squads when called up and believes the message is landing.

He said: "It's always the ones who are in camp, the ones who don't withdraw, the ones who walk the talk, and come to camp and show it matters and put the quality in. That's what we will always reward.

"I think it's naturally coming through, without needing to talk about it. That was always the message since very early since we took charge: it matters when you're in camp.

"It matters what you do in camp. The last camp was an excellent one, so the trust and belief is on the players who were there."

Manchester City forward Foden remains out of favour despite contributing six goal involvements in as many games, having been overlooked for last summer's tournament and the autumn squad.

However, the notable absences have created opportunities for first-time call-ups for King and Borussia Dortmund's Jobe Bellingham, both of whom have previously represented England at youth level.

Defenders Trevoh Chalobah and Tino Livramento have both withdrawn through injury, while left-back Nico O'Reilly misses out after being deemed "not 100 per cent" by Manchester City head coach Enzo Maresca, but Real Madrid right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold retains his place in the squad.

Inter Milan full-back Djed Spence returns for the first time since the World Cup after an injury, while Arsenal defender Ben White is recalled after being overlooked since March, when some England supporters booed him .

Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott is ruled out with a thigh injury, so Everton's James Garner , who was called up as a replacement in the autumn, comes in.

Nottingham Forest forward Morgan Gibbs-White and Liverpool youngster Rio Ngumoha will look to fill the void left by injured England stalwarts Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka , with Arsenal winger Noni Madueke overlooked.

Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Jason Steele (Brighton & Hove Albion), James Trafford (Leeds United)

Defenders: Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton), Marc Guehi (Manchester City), Lewis Hall (Newcastle United), Ezri Konsa (Arsenal), Jarrell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Inter Milan), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Real Madrid), Ben White (Arsenal).

Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Manchester City), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Jobe Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), James Garner (Everton), Josh King (Fulham), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), Declan Rice (Arsenal).

Forwards: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds United), Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest), Anthony Gordon (Barcelona), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Rio Ngumoha (Liverpool), Morgan Rogers (Chelsea).

Thursday November 12: England vs Croatia, 7.45pm kick-off

Sunday November 15: Spain vs England, 7.45pm kick-off

Tuchel sends out clear message with Palmer decision

"In leaving Cole Palmer out of this squad, Thomas Tuchel has sent a clear message to both the Chelsea man, and to every other England wannabe, whatever your status and experience in international football.

"The message is stark - you have to be present, you have to be committed, you have to be humble, as part of a wider push for a positive squad dynamic. And for Tuchel, it is clear he feels Palmer has not done enough to prove he has those three qualities. Tuchel doesn't doubt his ability - eight goal involvements in 11 matches is a much better output than either Ebe Eze or Morgan Gibbs-White have managed so far this season. And yet they are both in, and Palmer is out.

"When he withdrew from the last England squad in September because of a minor injury, that was the final straw for Tuchel. Five times, since the German coach took over in January 2025, Palmer has been unavailable because of injury. On two of those occasions, Tuchel named Palmer in his squad, only for him to withdraw. He has only played three matches in the Tuchel era.

"If he had picked Palmer this time, and dropped another number 10 to accommodate him, that would have been entirely the wrong message that Tuchel wanted to portray to the rest of his squad.

"Tuchel expects the sort of loyalty and determination shown by John Stones, Jude Bellingham and - most recently - Declan Rice, who have all chosen to still spend some time with the squad, even when they weren't fit enough to play.

"So, the England boss has made an example of the man who scored for his country in a Euros final two years ago. And that should be taken as a warning to Palmer personally, and as a cautionary tale to everyone else who wants to be part of his England squad."

" Josh King's England call-up follows a strong start to the season with Fulham. The 19-year-old, who made his senior breakthrough under Marco Silva, has started every Premier League game under Alvaro Arbeloa and impressed in tough circumstances.

"King, a regular in England's youth teams, has usurped club-record signing Emile Smith Rowe in the No 10 role for Fulham. It is a testament to Thomas Tuchel's belief in his ability that he sees him as an option in a position in which England are stacked with talent. King has been picked ahead of Cole Palmer and Phil Foden. It is a statement by the manager.

"King joined England's pre-World Cup training camp and only narrowly missed out on selection for September's squad, according to Tuchel. Since then, he has continued to grow in stature for Fulham, taking on more responsibility even at his young age.

"He has two goals and an assist in the Premier League so far this season and his attacking threat is evidenced by an unmatched total of 57 touches in the opposition box, which puts him ahead of Erling Haaland and Jeremy Doku. Now to test himself with England."

"Ben White's England career appeared to be over during his self-imposed exile following a fall-out with Gareth Southgate and Steve Holland at the 2022 World Cup but the Arsenal defender's call-up underlines his value to Thomas Tuchel.

"White's return to the fold in March was divisive. He was booed by some fans at Wembley against Uruguay, even when scoring the opening goal, and ended up conceding a late penalty before attracting more boos in the subsequent meeting with Japan.

"But Tuchel may well have included him in his World Cup squad if not for the knee injury he suffered in May and clearly the manager has not been put off by the hamstring issue that caused him to miss England's last camp in September.

"White has impressed for Arsenal this season, starting regularly at right-back with Jurrien Timber sidelined for the opening months of the campaign. He has shown the attacking threat he offers in the role with three assists in seven Premier League appearances.

"His versatility, as a natural centre-back, likely adds to his appeal to Tuchel but his reception in March shows he still has work to do to repair relations with the Three Lions fanbase."