Thomas Tuchel says Jordan Henderson “embodies everything we are trying to build” after naming the Ajax midfielder in his first England squad this morning.
Henderson has not played for the Three Lions since November 2023 when he appeared against Malta at Wembley and has become a polarising figure after leaving Liverpool for Saudi Arabian side Al-Ettifaq earlier that year.
He failed to settle in the Middle East, joining Ajax in January 2024, and has made 38 appearances this season for the Amsterdammers, who sit eight points clear at the top of the Eredivisie.
Tuchel selected the 34-year-old ahead of the likes of Adam Wharton and Morgan Gibbs-White and explained his reasoning by highlighting Henderson’s character.
It’s time to reveal Thomas Tuchel’s first #ThreeLions squad! 👀🏴
— England (@England) March 14, 2025
He said: “Jordan is a serial winner. He is captain of Ajax, he’s available, he’s played a lot of matches, he’s played in Europe. What he brings to every team is leadership, character, energy, he makes sure that everyone lives by the standards. He embodies everything we are trying to build. We try to build a team our fans will be proud of. Jordan embodies everything we want from this team.”
Henderson and Burn inclusions not short-term thinking – Tuchel
The inclusion of Henderson and fellow thirtysomething Dan Burn of Newcastle suggests Tuchel, who has a deal to take England to the World Cup next summer, is thinking short-term but the German insisted a balanced squad enhances the chance of success.
“I truly believe Dan Burn and Jordan Henderson have every chance to be with us in the World Cup,” Tuchel added. “Football in general but maybe even more international football is about team spirit. It is about building a team that loves to play with each other, that transports the spirit to the fans, the nation and the country. It is about building a brotherhood. We cannot only do this with young players or senior players, it has to be a good balance.
“I was surprised that Dan was never called up. He is such a tall guy but obviously it is easy to overlook him. It almost happened to me. I can tell you from these two phone calls from Jordan Henderson and Dan Burn, you instantly know that you picked the right guys.”
Tuchel does not want Rashford to fall back into ‘old routines’
Marcus Rashford was recalled after making an impressive start to life at Aston Villa following his January switch from Manchester United.
Rashford cut a disillusioned figure at Old Trafford but appears to have regained his mojo under Unai Emery.
Tuchel said: “With Marcus, he is a familiar face but a different situation. I felt that he had a huge impact at Aston Villa since he’s gone there, he made a huge impact from the bench mostly. The impact was impressive.
“The physical impact was impressive and most importantly, his work-rate, his defensive ability and tracking back was impressive. I had the strong feeling that we should nominate him, bring him in and to push him to stay on that level to not fall back on old routines. This camp is to push him to stay on this level.”
Good to see you, Thomas! 👋 pic.twitter.com/pDREMOMyzH
— England (@England) March 14, 2025
Kane to remain skipper
Tuchel confirmed Harry Kane would remain as captain and that Arsenal defender Ben White is available again for selection, although missed out this time having just returned from injury.
White rejected the chance to play for England under Gareth Southgate but is now back in the fold.
Tuchel said: “I just think it’s a bit too early given the seriousness of the injury he had. I’m delighted he’s back, he’s back now in training. We were monitoring the process and huge compliments to the medical and performance department of the FA.
“And thanks to everyone at Arsenal to let us monitor closely so we are on it, speaking to Ben that we are delighted that he is back on the bench. He had a Champions League match now in the second leg and I think now it’s just the question about getting more minutes, more rhythm and then he has every chance to be back. He wants to be back, he’s glad to be back.”
England to go direct
England’s style of play was often criticised under Southgate for being defensive and dour and Tuchel says his team will try to copy the best bits from the leading sides in the Premier League.
He said: “The Premier League is a very physical and demanding league. I think we should be brave enough to play like an England squad. We should not try to copy other nations or other styles – it just reflect the values of the country with the strongest league in the world.
“We will try to implement a direct, attacking style and we will try to increase the rhythm and intensity of our game. We will try to do this in a crash course on Monday and unleash the potential on Friday.”