Two Liverpool England hopefuls failed to impress Thomas Tuchel but one outsider has

Thomas Tuchel will officially begin his position as England manager at the start of next year but a couple of key Liverpool players may have trouble securing their place in his England team.

The German has been keeping a watchful eye over the Three Lions under the caretaker charge of Lee Carsley before he steps into the role. Tuchel is well-known to English football following his time at Chelsea and a number of Liverpool’s England hopefuls will have made an impression on him before he even assumes the roles. And that could spell trouble for Curtis Jones and Joe Gomez.

While Trent Alexander-Arnold will be a nailed-on choice in the England squad, even before Tuchel considers his opinion on the 26-year-old following their previous encounters, it may not be so easy for Jones and Gomez to convince Tuchel to include them in his team.

• Arne Slot will have fingers crossed as 16 Liverpool players face busy international breaks

• Liverpool already has 'new Jordan Henderson' that could save Arne Slot millions on transfers

Tuchel faced Liverpool five times as Chelsea boss, winning just once and suffering penalty defeats in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup final in 2022. During those encounters, Gomez failed to feature. The versatile defender remained an unused substitute in the FA Cup final victory and did not play a single minute in any of the three Premier League encounters.

Jones has also failed to have any impact against Tuchel’s Chelsea, playing an hour in the 1-0 defeat at Anfield in 2021 and a solitary minute in the four games the following season, including both cup finals.

However, Tuchel may be inclined to keep a watchful eye over Harvey Elliott’s return to injury. Elliott started in the 1-1 draw at Anfield in August 2021 when Liverpool failed to overcome Chelsea, who played the entire second half with 10 men after Reece James was sent off. Elliott started in Jurgen Klopp’s midfield three system and played the full game.

The then-18-year-old put in a performance ahead of his years. An early shot that almost found the bottom corner and his tidy use of the ball as well as putting the Reds on the front foot with a number of progressive passes made him a danger in possession. While without the ball, his relentless pressing and ability to not be physically dominated by an experienced Blues midfield containing N’Golo Kante, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic left an incredibly exciting outlook on his display.

Elliott missed the 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge in February as he recovered from an ankle fracture he suffered the following game against Leeds United. The former Fulham youngster managed to return as a second-half substitute in the League Cup final between the two just weeks later. Elliott was the first player Klopp called off the bench to enter the fray in midfield with ten minutes to play of regulation time. The final was eventually won by Liverpool on penalties, with Elliott coolly scoring his.

The 21-year-old has been able to overcome that injury hit campaign to make 66 Premier League appearances across the past two seasons for the Reds but only 29 of them have come in the starting line-up. If Elliott can earn a place in Slot’s side, either from the wide or attacking central role he has predominately featured in for the Reds, Tuchel would be well advised to cast a keen eye on him.

Elliott looks set to be available to Arne Slot after the international break having joined full training with the under-21s on Monday. Elliott has featured once this season before he was sidelined having fractured his foot in training with England U21s in September. While caution will likely be taken over Elliott’s return, he could be available for the trip to Southampton on November 24.