Richard Keys Calls Out England Player Who Has 'Work to Do' After Latvia Win

An England regular has "got work to do" if he wants to get back into Thomas Tuchel's plans ahead of the 2026 World Cup, according to Richard Keys.

Tuchel made some headline-making calls when announcing his 24-man squad ahead of games against Wales and Latvia this month, with several high-profile names missing out.

Jack Grealish, who has been one of the Premier League's standout performers this season, was left on the sidelines alongside Phil Foden, Adam Wharton and Curtis Jones.

Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham also missed out as Tuchel mentioned he was still "finding his rhythm" following surgery on his left shoulder in July.

Asked about his decision to omit Bellingham from his latest squad, Tuchel was clear with his message.

"He hasn't completed one match over 90 minutes," the German said. "He has only started one match. It comes from surgery and he's just finding his rhythm."

He added: "So this is, I think, an extra reason to not pick him. But the main reason is that we stick with the squad that was in camp last time."

Tuchel would go on to describe Bellingham as one of the best midfielders in the world. “Do I believe we are a stronger team with Jude Bellingham? Yes," he added.

"But I think we found solutions in the last camp, so this is more about last camp and what we started to build last camp than the dependency on individual players."

England romped to a 5-0 win over Latvia on Tuesday night as goals from Harry Kane (2), Anthony Gordon, Eberechi Eze and an own goal from Maksims Toņiševs sealed World Cup qualification.

Declan Rice and Elliott Anderson, who have formed a solid partnership in recent months, featured in central midfield, while Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers started in a more attacking midfield role behind Kane.

Rice and Anderson have forged a great partnership in England's midfield. Image credit: Getty

After the full-time whistle, Bellingham was a big topic of discussion, with BeIN Sports presenter Richard Keys giving his view on the situation.

"I said it when he got the job and I’ll say it again - it wouldn’t surprise me if Thomas Tuchel wins the World Cup with England," Keys said after Tuesday night's game in Latvia.

"They look really good now," he added. "Bellingham has got work to do on squad members to get back in - not so much the coach. He’s simply backing his players."

Thoughts on Bellingham's future in an England shirt? Let us know in the comments.