Aston Villa trio called up to the England squad ahead of Jack Grealish, Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden

Three Aston Villa players have been named in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the October internationals against Wales and Latvia.

Villa trio Ezri Konsa, Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins have retained their places while Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and former Villa captain Jack Grealish miss out.

England will play Wales in an international friendly next Thursday evening before heading to Riga to play Latvia in a World Cup qualifying match on 14th October.

The exclusion of Bellingham, Foden, Grealish and Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton have surprised some observers but each omission comes with its own logic and Tuchel has been at pains to clarify that there are no specific concerns about any of the players who’ve been left out.

England supporters aren’t questioning the inclusion of Konsa, who’s been in good form for Villa and has been getting even better. Since a first call-up in November 2023 and a debut several months later, he’s evolved into one of Tuchel’s best choices at the back.

But there are question marks over the inclusion of Rogers and Watkins, whose individual performances, while improving, have not been up to scratch so far in 2025/26.

In Rogers’ case, there was one noteworthy exception. His best game of the season was for England in September.

According to BBC Sport chief football writer Phil McNulty, Tuchel has likely picked Rogers and Watkins – and others – based on their recent contributions in an England shirt.

“England’s outstanding 5-0 win in Serbia will have shaped his thinking as he keeps faith with those who excelled in Belgrade,” writes McNulty.

“Those whom Tuchel utilised in England’s World Cup qualifier wins against Andorra, but far more significantly against Serbia, deserve the reward of continuity, with Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson and Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa making major contributions in Belgrade.”

Rogers as a Bellingham alternative?

Bellingham’s injury gave Tuchel the chance to play Rogers as the number 10 against Serbia and it worked well as the Villa man showed some of his best qualities behind England captain Harry Kane.

Rogers has been criticised for his performance numbers this season but the England game was a different story. He provided the assist for Noni Madueke’s goal in the first half and delivered no fewer than five key passes. He played three through balls and made three successful take-ons.

With Bellingham back from injury but still working his way back to full match fitness at Real Madrid, Tuchel seems happy enough to include Rogers as a potential option despite his struggles at club level.

England will play twice more in 2025. In the November international match week they face a home qualifier against Serbia and a visit to Albania. If they defeat Latvia in the upcoming international window, dropped points for Serbia in either of their two matches would secure qualification for the Three Lions.

England squad for October fixtures

Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Manchester City)

Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle United), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Reece James (Chelsea), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Tottenham Hotspur), John Stones (Manchester City)

Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (AC Milan), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)

Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona, loan from Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)

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