Thomas Tuchel has left Morgan Gibbs-White, Jarell Quansah and Aaron Ramsdale out the England squad that will face Albania.
The Three Lions begin a new era and a World Cup qualifying campaign at Wembley this evening under their new German head coach.
Tuchel initially selected 26 players last week, but UEFA rules state that a matchday squad can only be comprised of 23 men.
One goalkeeper was always likely to be dropped, given the former Chelsea boss picked four last week and Ramsdale has missed the cut.
It is, perhaps, no surprise that Quansah has been left out given the other defensive options available to Tuchel but the omission of Gibbs-White is likely to raise eyebrows.
The Nottingham Forest midfielder would have felt aggrieved at having failed to make the initial squad given his outstanding form for his club this season.
Gibbs-White belatedly got the call last week after Cole Palmer was forced to pull out due to a muscle injury, but the 25-year-old will play no part this evening.
England squad vs Albania
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Burnley)
Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle United), Levi Colwill (Chelsea), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Reece James (Chelsea), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), Kyle Walker (AC Milan, loan from Manchester City)
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Jordan Henderson (Ajax), Curtis Jones (Liverpool), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)
Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Marcus Rashford (Aston Villa, loan
Ahead of his first game in charge, meanwhile, Tuchel attempted to extinguish talk of the jersey weighing heavy and, like predecessor Gareth Southgate, indicated that England need to earn the right to be considered among the best given they are not ‘serial winners’.
‘The tradition for the national team is not to win and we have to maybe accept that once we arrive in America maybe we are not the favourites,’ Tuchel said.
‘Maybe we are kind of the underdogs and we embrace this role and make the best of it, because there are more stars on the shirts of Brazil, the likes of Germany, Spain recently.
Can Tuchel restore the fun factor withEngland?
Thomas Tuchel has hardly put a foot wrong this week as he’s navigated his pre-match media duties by answering a series of loaded questions with a measure of honesty, charm and good humour.
The turbulent spell he spent at Chelsea has obviously gave him a taste of what to expect in his new role, and for all the goodwill he has generated, he has been around the block long enough to know he will experience the shortest of honeymoons if he fails to deliver on his early promise of bringing back a sense of fun and enjoyment to everyone connected with the national team.
Quite how quickly the players will be able to shed the demons that plagued them over the summer remains to be seen, especially given Tuchel’s first squad wreaks of pragmatism, highlighted by the inclusion of Jordan Henderson.
Excluding Morgan Gibbs-White from tonight’s squad, meanwhile, represents a particularly puzzling decision, especially after he was called up to replace a player who, in Cole Palmer, would certainly have featured against Albania.
Even without the Nottingham Forest midfielder, however, Tuchel is equipped with a group of players who are capable of showing far more than they did under his predecessor and instant results shouldn’t be too hard to achieve.
James Goldman | Metro Sports Editor
‘They have more success so we are maybe not the favourites just because we all play in the best league and maybe have a lot of titles within this league.
‘There is no rule that we cannot make it from the role of an underdog. This can maybe help us to change the perception a little bit. That we don’t arrive and say that if we don’t win it is a complete disaster.’
Right now, it is about starting qualification with a bang against Albania.
‘We have a full Wembley, it will be very exciting,’ Tuchel added. ‘I will be bit nervous, I guess and that’s part of it. I’m always a bit nervous before matches, so this will not be different.’