England manager Thomas Tuchel has raised serious concern over the decreasing number of English players in Premier League starting line-ups, describing the trend as “worrying.”

Recent data shows that just 23.2% of players who started Premier League games this season are eligible to represent England, the lowest figure ever recorded.

During Gareth Southgate’s tenure, that number fluctuated between 30% and 33%, which was already considered critically low.

Tuchel calls for fair opportunity

Speaking ahead of England’s World Cup qualifier against Latvia, Tuchel said he would like to see more English players feature regularly but emphasized that performance, not nationality, determines selection at the club level.

“I would love to see more English players. The more, the better,” Tuchel said. “But in football, no one is held back. If you deserve to play, you will play. Quality always finds a way.”

Top English talent thriving abroad

Tuchel noted that some of England’s biggest stars, including Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane, Fikayo Tomori, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, are playing outside England.

However, even with their inclusion, the Premier League’s homegrown ratio would still remain alarmingly low.

Despite overseeing a 3-0 win over Wales, Tuchel’s decision to omit Bellingham, Phil Foden, and Jack Grealish from the current squad drew attention.

He stood by his choices, insisting those selected had earned their places.

“The door is always open for anyone. But the guys in this camp deserved to be here and delivered another great display,” he added.