Arsenal stars Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly receive England call-up verdict as Thomas Tuchel announces squad

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Thomas Tuchel has named his first squad as England manager – an announcement that two Arsenal stars have been eagerly awaiting for some time.

Declan Rice is a shoo-in in the Three Lions’ team these days, while Bukayo Saka no doubt would be involved if he wasn’t out injured.

The former unsurprisingly makes Tuchel’s first ensemble, while the latter is absent as he continues his hamstring rehabilitation.

The talk around the squad was centred more around two Hale End graduates, Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly, both of whom have been vying for their first international call-up at senior level.

Nwaneri has established himself as Saka’s deputy, an incredibly impressive one, in recent weeks, while Lewis-Skelly has become Mikel Arteta’s first-choice left-back.

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Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly discover England call-up verdict

Reports emerged earlier this month indicating that Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly were in contention to play for England under Thomas Tuchel over the March international break.

The duo have impressed so much for Arsenal, that they’ve already been elevated into the senior picture, despite neither featuring for the under-21s at any point in their short careers thus far.

However, only Lewis-Skelly has been rewarded with a place in the first-team squad for now, with Nwaneri called up to the under-21s.

The former is expected to battle for the starting spot at left-back, with closest competitor Lewis Hall ruled out with injury.

Meanwhile, Nwaneri will likely start for the youth team, earning his first call-up at this level.

With the likes of Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer at Tuchel’s disposal, it’s certainly a reasonable call to leave Nwaneri out of the senior squad for the time being.

Regardless, it’s an incredible achievement for both players, given their respective ages, and it shows just how far they’ve come in a matter of months.

Ben White left out of England squad

Ben White famously omitted himself from England duty during the 2022 World Cup, and he hasn’t featured since.

However, reports surfaced back in November that White could be about to perform a U-turn on his international availability.

Tuchel is understood to be a huge admirer of the right-back.

However, having just returned from injury, the former Chelsea boss has opted to leave White out of his first squad.

While he may eventually feature for the Three Lions again, the right-back is evidently not fully fit yet, and likely needs two weeks resting and recuperating at London Colney.