Thomas Tuchel has thrown John Stones’s hopes of going to the World Cup into doubt after the defender’s latest injury setback forced him to pull out of England’s qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia.
Stones is one of the squad’s leading figures but he has been held back by a series of fitness issues during the past 18 months and has not featured for England since last October.
It is frustrating state of affairs for Tuchel, who hoped to start the Manchester City centre-back when England host Andorra at Villa Park on Saturday. Stones has been a regular at recent tournaments but he is yet to play for Tuchel, who made it clear that the 31-year-old will only remain an important part of his plans ahead of next summer’s World Cup if he stays fit.
“I’m a big fan of John, his personality and his quality,” England’s head coach told BBC Radio 5 Live. “He could be an important figure, of course, but he needs to be available. He wants to be available and he’s a top professional, so he is the most upset in all this because he does really everything to be fit and struggles then with these minor issues from time to time that cost him game time.
“I hope he keeps his spirit up because he will stay important for us. I saw in these three days what he means to the group as a personality and as a social glue within the group. What he brings to the pitch is outstanding quality as a central defender and possibly as a pivotal No 6, but we have to adapt to it. He’s now not available anymore. We will find solutions for it.”
Tuchel planned to give Stones, who has played in City’s first three league games this season, a prominent role during this camp. Along with starting him at the back against Andorra, England’s head coach revealed that he was considering using him in defensive midfield for the trip to Serbia on Tuesday.
“I think he would have maybe started as a central defender in this match, but he was in contention for playing No 6 for us as well,” Tuchel told Talksport. “It was in our thoughts to maybe use him as a six against Serbia. But listen, this is how it is.”
England’s other options at centre-back are Ezri Konsa, Dan Burn, Marc Guéhi and Jarell Quansah.
Tuchel made it clear that he is not thinking about using Marseille’s Mason Greenwood, who has left the door open to a recall after rejecting a call-up from Jamaica. “I have not spoken to him until now,” he said. “I have not spoken to him or his camp. My understanding was that he tries to play for Jamaica so we didn’t give it another thought. He was not in the mix at the moment and he is not in our thoughts for our team. I don’t rule anything out but he is no priority at the moment.”
