England drop Alexander-Arnold; Spence and Anderson called up
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Image source, ReutersSami Mokbel
Senior football correspondent
Neil Johnston
BBC Sport journalist
Updated 52 minutes ago
Trent Alexander-Arnold has been be left out of Thomas Tuchel's latest England squad, with call-ups for uncapped duo Elliot Anderson and Djed Spence.
Right-back Alexander-Arnold left Liverpool for Real Madrid in the summer and was named in Tuchel's previous squad.
However, he has not be named in the squad for World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia.
Alexander-Arnold, 26, was left out of the starting line-up for Real Madrid's 3-0 win at Real Oviedo on Sunday.
Nottingham Forest midfielder Anderson and Tottenham full-back Spence get their first call-ups, though Everton winger Jack Grealish misses out despite Tuchel's assistant Anthony Barry watching him impress in last weekend's win against Brighton.
There are recalls for Marcus Rashford and Adam Wharton, while 35-year-old Jordan Henderson - who has featured in three of Tuchel's four games in charge - is again included along with Morgan Gibbs-White.
But there is no place for Kyle Walker, 35, his former Manchester City team-mate Phil Foden or Ah-Ahli striker Ivan Toney.
It will be the first time the senior side have played at Aston Villa's home since a goalless draw with the Netherlands in 2005.
Tuchel's side then travel to Belgrade to play Serbia on Tuesday, 9 September (19:45).
England sit top of Group K with three wins out of three, although they did lose their last match 3-1 - a friendly against Senegal at the City Ground on 10 June.
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, James Trafford, Dean Henderson
Defenders: Reece James, Marc Guehi, John Stones, Dan Burn, Ezri Konsa, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Tino Livramento, Djed Spence
Midfielders: Elliot Anderson, Morgan Gibbs-White, Jordan Henderson, Adam Wharton, Morgan Rogers, Declan Rice
Forwards: Harry Kane, Eberechi Eze, Jarrod Bowen, Anthony Gordon, Noni Madueke, Marcus Rashford, Ollie Watkins
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Anderson, 22, is rewarded for his impressive form since moving to the City Ground from Newcastle in July 2024.
He takes the place of Bellingham in Tuchel's 23-man squad.
Anderson also starred in England's Under-21 Euros triumph over the summer.
"A regular player for Nottingham Forest and had a fantastic season," said Tuchel when asked about his reasons for including Anderson.
"He is excited to come join us and hope he can make his mark.
"Tino Livramento is also with us based on these observations, because they had a very good tournament at Under-21 Euros."
Spence, 25, represented England at under-21 level seven times between 2022 and 2023 and now gets his chance at senior level.
He has missed just five Tottenham games in all competitions since he made his full Premier League debut for the club in a 5-0 win over Southampton in December.
When Alexander-Arnold was unveiled as a Real Madrid player in June, the Liverpool-born player impressed the crowd by speaking in Spanish and said his move was "a dream come true".
Now, in the space of a week, he has had to make do with a place on the bench for his new club and come to terms with not adding to his 34 England caps in September.
His Three Lions omission comes nine months before the start of the 2026 World Cup.
"The Spanish media have a narrative already on Trent: 'he's too shy, he doesn't fit in, Dani Carvajal will surpass him'," Spanish football journalist Guillem Balague said on the BBC Euro Leagues podcast.
"I hope he hears this.
"He has a big challenge.
"Trent needs an education on what he needs to do."
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