2025-09-02 15:30:02
Ruben Loftus-Cheek has been recalled to the England squad for the first time in almost seven years after Adam Wharton was forced to withdraw through injury.
Loftus-Cheek has been added to Thomas Tuchel’s group following Wharton’s adductor problem, sustained during Crystal Palace’s weekend victory over Aston Villa.
Oliver Glasner, Palace’s manager, hinted after the match that the midfielder would be unable to take part in international duty.
Loftus-Cheek last featured for England in November 2018, coming off the bench in a friendly against the United States.
He was later called up in March 2019 but withdrew from the selection.
The midfielder has 10 senior caps and played four times at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, where England reached the semi-finals.
This is the first time Loftus-Cheek has been included under Tuchel, who managed him at Chelsea. During their time together at Stamford Bridge, Loftus-Cheek made 46 appearances, scoring once and recording five assists.
The midfielder will now link up with the England squad ahead of World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia during the international break.
Tuchel raised eyebrows with his initial squad announcement last week.
He omitted Trent Alexander-Arnold, who had just completed a move to Real Madrid.
There were maiden senior call-ups for Elliot Anderson of Nottingham Forest and Djed Spence from Tottenham Hotspur.
Tino Livramento, John Stones, Wharton, Jarrod Bowen and Marcus Rashford were all recalled.
Injuries ruled out Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham, Levi Colwill and Bukayo Saka.
In August, it was reported Saka faced a race to be fit for Arsenal’s Premier League clash with Manchester City after suffering a hamstring problem in the 53rd minute of their 5–0 win over Leeds United at the Emirates Stadium in July.
Mikel Arteta said after the match: “He felt something while he was sprinting. That’s never a good sign. But he’s had these injuries before. He knows exactly the feeling of that.”
Arteta added it was the opposite hamstring to the one Saka tore at Crystal Palace last December, which sidelined him for three months after surgery.
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