Marc Guehi has had a personal meeting with England manager Thomas Tuchel following his transfer disappointment. The Crystal Palace skipper was left seething when a £35million switch to Liverpool fell through on deadline day, but he joined the England squad on Tuesday and is set to feature in the upcoming matches against Andorra and Serbia.
Tuchel commented: “We had a chat with him. He looks absolutely fine. Very impressive on the field. He’s the main driver of Palace’s success, captain and the leader. He’s continued this in camp. He handles it with respect and grace and a brilliant attitude.”
Tuchel went on to discuss his decision to bring Ruben Loftus-Cheek back into the England fold after seven years, noting the AC Milan midfielder’s positive attributes: “It was always a pleasure to work with him. Very friendly very polite. Good sense of humour. I’m not sure he is aware of how good he is and how good he can be.
“He fits in seamlessly. He’s shown it straight away and is competing for a place in midfield. It’s good to see that he is fit, playing for his club.”
In other news, John Stones was “very upset” to have to withdraw from the England squad due to injury. Tuchel disclosed that he had been considering playing the Manchester City defender in midfield against Serbia, anticipating a challenging encounter.
Stones has had to return to his club due to “small muscle issues” and Tuchel’s potential line-up change suggests that the midfield spot next to Declan Rice is still a concern.
Speaking to talkSPORT, Tuchel revealed: “I think he would have maybe started as a central defender in this match, but he was in contention for playing number six for us as well.
“When we need maybe a more physical six, and more a six that is like John, more educated as a central defender, so to stay deep and create a block of three with a central defender.
“So, it was in our thoughts to maybe use him as a six against Serbia. But, listen, this is how it is. He’s very upset. He’s very upset because he does everything on a daily basis to be fit.
“Now he has again minor issues. It will cost him two caps for the national team. It will maybe cost him some minutes for Manchester City.
“So, he is very, very disappointed and upset. He was a big part of camp so far. But, yeah, it is what it is. We have to adapt. We have to find solutions.”
Content Source: www.express.co.uk