Thomas Tuchel has explained why Eberechi Eze retained his place in the England squad despite limited playing time at Arsenal, while also revealing he apologised to Kobbie Mainoo in front of the entire squad for not giving the Manchester United midfielder any minutes at the World Cup.
Eze was named in Tuchel's latest squad for the Nations League matches against Croatia and Spain, but Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Mainoo were left out. Tuchel admitted that Eze was fortunate to keep his place, with Morgan Gibbs-White also included.
Loyalty rewarded
Speaking about the selection, Tuchel said: "Phil is always an option because I'm in love with him as a player. What is not to love? If you see the boy train it's just the highest, highest quality. I think he has to be always an option. And he is always an option. It was very close."
He added: "It's also close for Eberechi Eze to keep his place with us. [He's] not starting for Arsenal. So the advantage was maybe that Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze come again into camp. The advantage was that they have been in camp. Because they need to fight for it. That's what we want. And Phil is always close."
Mainoo's World Cup disappointment
Tuchel also addressed Mainoo's situation, noting that the midfielder paid the price for Manchester United's poor form. Mainoo travelled to the United States for the World Cup but did not play a single minute, and later withdrew from last month's camp through injury.
Tuchel said: "He was hugely disappointed from the World Cup, and deservedly so. I said it in front of the team, in front of the staff, I said, 'Sorry that I didn't pick you, you did nothing wrong, that is on me'. He was disappointed."
He continued: "I think it cost him a bit of confidence. He was excellent in training and in the way he presented himself through the tournament. So he was never a problem, the way he carried himself. Then he pulled out of last camp. I was desperate to give him the minutes. Desperate to include him in this new start, in Nations League. He pulled out. And he then missed camp, and he missed an excellent camp."
Tuchel concluded: "And then entered a difficult, difficult spell for himself. He was injured now, for a long time. And Man United fell of a cliff a little bit performance-wise. So this is why he suffers from that."
