Three players who deserve call-up to Thomas Tuchel’s England squad ahead of Uruguay, Japan friendlies

The 2026 World Cup is less than 100 days away and England head coach Thomas Tuchel has just one international window remaining before he selects his final squad for this summer’s eagerly-anticipated tournament held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Appointed in the autumn of 2024, Tuchel steered the Three Lions through a perfect World Cup qualification campaign, winning eight games out of eight without conceding a single goal to top Group K.

England have not been in action since beating Albania 2-0 in their final qualifier on November 16, and Tuchel has since had plenty of time to assess his senior options before naming his latest squad for March’s international break ahead of friendlies with Uruguay and Japan.

The Three Lions, ranked fourth in the world by FIFA, will play host to Uruguay at Wembley Stadium on March 27, four days before taking on Japan at the same venue.

Ahead Tuchel’s squad announcement, Sports Mole takes a look at three England players who deserve to be called up this month.

Morgan Gibbs-White | Nottingham Forest | 6 caps

With Jude Bellingham set to remain sidelined through injury and Phil Foden struggling for form, Morgan Gibbs-White should be a strong contender to return to Tuchel’s squad after being omitted in November.

The 26-year-old is an integral first-team player for Nottingham Forest and has been a standout performer since the turn of the year, scoring six goals and providing two assists in 15 games across all competitions.

Three of those goals have been netted in his last five outings, including back-to-back away goals against Brighton (2-1 defeat) and Man City (2-2 draw) in the Premier League, scoring a superb backheeled finish against the latter to boost the Tricky Trees’ survival bid.

Gibbs-White is known to be a versatile, technically-gifted and high-energy attacking midfielder who has previously been described as a “winner” with an “amazing character” by Tuchel in June last year.

Although Gibbs-White lacks senior international experience, making just six substitute outings totalling to 91 minutes, he is a proven Premier League player who could offer a different dimension to Tuchel’s midfield, whether he operates as an No.8 or No.10.

Jarrad Branthwaite | Everton | 1 cap

Jarrad Branthwaite has his sights set on representing England at this summer’s World Cup and is keen to make up for lost time after a frustrating period on the sidelined through injury.

The 23-year-old missed the first half of this season with a hamstring problem before making a welcome return for Everton at the end of January, featuring for 492 minutes across seven Premier League appearances.

Branthwaite, who scored in a 3-2 top-flight win at Newcastle last month, has not represented the Three Lions since his international debut in June 2024, but his impressive performances as a centre-back and left-back for the Toffees are sure to have alerted Tuchel ahead of this month’s squad announcement.

While competition for places at centre-back will be rife with England, the left-back spot is up for grabs and 6ft 5in Branthwaite could emerge as a contender to rival the likes of Nico O’Reilly, Lewis Hall and Myles Lewis-Skelly - who is struggling for game time at Arsenal - for a place on the left side of Tuchel’s defence.

"I think the only thing I can do is go out there and put on good performances every game and give myself the best possible chance,” Branthwaite told reporters last month.

"It’s not nice being out, but coming to the end of the season, hopefully I can have those fresh legs, whereas players who are playing 30-odd games throughout the season are maybe tiring.

"I’ve been in and around England squads, so I’ve had that (World Cup) target since then. It would just be a dream to go. There are plenty of top players in England and the squad could be huge if you could pick everyone, so it’s just down to me."

James Garner | Everton | Uncapped

Branthwaite’s Everton teammate James Garner has been one of the most consistent performers for David Moyes’s side this season and has been an invaluable asset operating in midfield or as a makeshift full-back.

Only James Tarkowski has played more minutes for Everton in the Premier League this season than Garner (2,610), who also lead the way for successful passes (1,193), pass accuracy (87.7%), successful passes in the final third (375), chances created (42) and interceptions (46) among Toffees players.

The 24-year-old has also contributed to seven goals (two goals, five assists), only bettered by Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (nine) - another England hopeful - and Jack Grealish (eight), and Tuchel will find it difficult to overlook Everton’s No.37 this month.

Moyes has heavily championed Garner for a first senior England call-up, and although the likes of Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson and Adam Wharton may be ahead of him in the midfield pecking order at present, integrating Garner into the first-team squad this month could prove to be a shrewd move by Tuchel.