Brutal reason Jarrad Branthwaite missed out on England squad – but Henderson got in

Jarrad Branthwaite was one of the key names to miss out on the England squad as Thomas Tuchel made his first announcement on Friday morning

Jarrad Branthwaite has been touted to be England's future - but there was no room for him in Thomas Tuchel's first squad.

Branthwaite was just one of the casualties of the first squad, with Jack Grealish, Harry Maguire, Rico Lewis, Conor Gallagher, Morgan Gibbs-White and Ollie Watkins all missing the cut.

However, Tuchel has already explained his main goal is to win the World Cup - not to create a so-called "England pathway" like Gareth Southgate. This is why old-stagers like Jordan Henderson has returned.

Speaking after the World Cup qualification draw, Tuchel explained that England's best team may not always include best players.

Southgate was U21s manager before he was the senior team boss and his philosophy was to promote youth, develop young players for the future and if possible, slowly integrate the up-and-coming future England stars into the senior set up.

Tuchel was handed the England job as a proven winner - and his objective is to win, not to develop players for the future.

“When we can build this quickly, our fans will notice and this will give us the extra boost,” Tuchel said explaining his key decisions. “The focus is not only on talent and not only on quality, it is what you bring to the group and how you be a good team-mate.”

He added on Henderson: “I think his career and the way he plays now and imposes himself at Ajax is just so impressive. He builds on character, personality and energy that he brings to the team.

“For me, Jordan is a similar call-up for the same reasons as Dan Burn. They carry these values on their shoulders and they carry their teams.

"It’s absolutely reliable what they bring in terms of energy and this is where the focus is also for us to build a strong team and a cohesive team. Jordan is a big piece in that puzzle for us.”

And when speaking on Rashford, he said: “He’s had a huge impact lately in the matches at Aston Villa. I was delighted to see his effort on the ball and his effort to be the best team-mate possible and his consistent energy.

“There is no doubt about his talent and about his quality, but to see him so decisive and so physically involved gave me the impression that it is the right moment to call him up and give him the extra push that he stays on that level.”