Tuchel: Hudson-odoi could face consequences for England snub
Callum Hudson-odoi will have to accept any “consequences” of his decision to again turn down the opportunity of playing for England Under-21s, says Thomas Tuchel.
Tuchel said Hudson-odoi’s decision to stay at his club can be good news for Chelsea but accepted that “not everybody will be happy” with the 20-year-old’s choice.
England manager Gareth Southgate made it clear this week that he wanted Hudson-odoi to play for the under-21s, saying: “I think he has a better chance of impressing us if he is with the under-21s as well.” Hudson-odoi has been in good form for Chelsea in recent weeks, starting their past four matches in all competitions following injuries to other attackers.
“I did not get involved in this discussion,” Tuchel said. “I know it was a discussion between the federation and Callum, and I think it ended up with Petr Cech [Chelsea’s technical and performance adviser] being in the discussion. I was happy about that – I had no interest to get involved. If Callum is here, we have full control of what he’s doing. It’s a good thing when we are in charge. I can understand if people don’t understand it or if they don’t like it. I think that Callum is very aware that if he takes a decision like this, not everybody will be happy.
“He probably has good reasons why he thinks that in this moment, for him, it’s better to stay and fight for his place. It’s easy to judge from outside, but you should hear both sides. If there are consequences, I am sure that Callum takes them.”
Meanwhile, Tuchel has warned that Mason Mount could miss England’s games against Albania on Friday and San Marino three days later because of infected wisdom teeth. Mount has lost weight because he cannot eat properly.
“It can be that he’s out or he maybe joins the England squad a bit later,” Tuchel said. “The treatment needs to be done. This is the first priority, and we will do everything to make it happen that maybe Mason can also join the England squad.”