Rio Nguemoa will not feature for England against Spain in the upcoming match. This decision comes from head coach Thomas Tuchel, who is working within the constraints of the Nations League squad limits.
The 18-year-old winger from Liverpool received just his second call-up to the senior England squad, having made his debut in a friendly against New Zealand back in June.
Why Nguemoa was left out
Despite five changes to the squad due to injuries, Tuchel chose not to include Nguemoa in the final lineup for the fixture against Spain.
With five players withdrawing from the England camp, including attackers Cole Palmer and Marcus Rashford, there seemed to be an opportunity for the young Liverpool star to get involved. However, Tuchel opted to bring in James Garner and Morgan Gibbs-White instead.
The Nations League allows for only 23 players to be named in the squad, which meant that several had to be left out, and unfortunately for Nguemoa, he was one of those omitted.
High competition in attack remains
Even with the recent injuries, Nguemoa faced stiff competition for a place in the team.
Tuchel still has Bukayo Saka, Harry Kane, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Anthony Gordon, and Morgan Rogers at his disposal in the attacking line. In midfield, he can also call upon Eberechi Eze and Morgan Gibbs-White.
This season, Nguemoa has made three appearances for Liverpool in the league, but has only started once.
As a result, there will be no Liverpool representation at all in the England squad for the match against Spain.
However, former Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold is back in the England setup after missing out on the World Cup over the summer.
