Thomas Tuchel has split his 35-man squad in two — and tomorrow night at Wembley, the fringe players get their audition.
Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Morgan Rogers, Anthony Gordon, Elliot Anderson, Nico O'Reilly, Marc Guéhi, Ezri Konsa, Dan Burn and Dean Henderson are all being rested for the Uruguay game, joining up for the Japan match on March 31 instead. That means Tuchel will get a proper look at his second-tier options against Marcelo Bielsa's World Cup-qualified Uruguayans.
Jude Bellingham, only just back from injury, is in contention to play some minutes. Cole Palmer starts. Marcus Rashford — on loan at Barcelona — gets a rare England opportunity. Kobbie Mainoo and Harry Maguire both return for the first time in 18 months, with Maguire particularly likely to start given the defensive absentees.
For Mainoo, this is a real chance. His form under Michael Carrick at Manchester United has been excellent and a strong showing against Uruguay could cement his World Cup place. For Maguire, at 33 and with Burn, Guéhi and Konsa all ahead of him, the stakes are just as high.
