Thomas Tuchel says he has “no problem” with Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden or Jack Grealish after the trio were left out of his England squad for next week’s games against Wales and Latvia.
Bellingham has failed to earn a recall despite returning from a shoulder injury, while Foden and Grealish also miss out despite returning to form with Manchester City and Everton respectively.
England boss Tuchel said Bellingham had wanted to be included in the squad, having spoken to the 22-year-old on the phone.
“He is a special player, and for special players there can always be special rules,” Tuchel said of Bellingham, who has made just one start for Real Madrid since returning to fitness.
“But we decided to keep with the straightforward decision of inviting the same group.
“Jude always deserves to be here. There is also the situation that he has not quite gathered his full rhythm again at Real Madrid – he has not finished a full match.
“He wanted to be called up. We had a phone call.”
Tuchel was keen to stress his positive relationship with Bellingham after he was forced to apologise to the midfielder earlier this year for calling his behaviour on the pitch “repulsive” during a live interview.
The German said he used the words “unintentionally” and would be more careful in future.
Asked if he had a problem with Bellingham, Tuchel said: “No. There is also no problem with Phil Foden or Jack Grealish either.”
Speaking to BBC Sport, Tuchel added: “This is the decision, if they like it or not. They know my appreciation, they know I clearly see and observe how good Phil is at the moment for Manchester City.
“Jack knows that I see how influential he is for Everton and is on the way to being the best version of himself. Jude knows he is a special player. He knows that I know he is a special player.
“So, they have to accept it and nothing changes this decision against them or for the other players. It does not change my appreciation for their talent and personality.”
Bukayo Saka replacing the injured Noni Madueke is the only change to last month’s squad, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Jarell Quansah retaining their places after being late additions last month because of injury.
The Three Lions face Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday before a World Cup qualifier in Riga on 14 October.
If England win in Latvia they will need a maximum of two points from their final two qualifiers – against Serbia and Albania in November – to reach next summer’s tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
The Three Lions produced their best display by some distance under Tuchel’s leadership when they beat Serbia 5-0 away from home in Belgrade last time out.
Tuchel says that performance meant it was an easy decision to stick with largely the same squad, though “there are absolutely no guarantees” for any player when it comes to selection.
“We had the best camp, the best performance and it was only three and a half weeks ago. It wasn’t half a year ago or many months ago, so a very tight decision went in the favour of the guys who were in camp,” he told BBC Sport.
“Are there players who are out who deserve to be with us, yes of course. Are they big personalities? Are there special players out? Yes, of course, I think that will never change because we only have a certain amount of players to call up, but there is always a way back into camp.”
Tuchel added: “Foden is in a very good moment. Adam Wharton deserves to be with us. Curtis Jones and Trevoh Chalobah are getting minutes with their clubs.
“There are players who deserve to be here. Cole Palmer is injured and is a special player. It will always be like this.
“Are we a better team with Jude? Yes. But I told you before, what do we do if Jude is injured before the World Cup? Do we just cancel?”
