squad

Sami Mokbel: Rio Ngumoha and Lewis Hall are among the players to have been named in England manager Thomas Tuchel’s provisional squad for the forthcoming Nations League internationals, though it remains to be seen whether they make the final cut.

Liverpool winger Ngumoha was part of a contingent of young players that flew with the England senior squad for their pre-World Cup training camp in Palm Beach.

He was unexpectedly handed his debut in the warm-up game against New Zealand, impressing in a second-half cameo.

But the 18-year-old is yet to be picked in a full senior England squad – although he is in with a chance of being selected by Tuchel for the forthcoming games against Spain, the Czech Republic and Croatia.

Hall’s World Cup omission raised eyebrows given England entered the tournament without a natural left-back.

Before naming his full squad on Friday, Tuchel is required to submit a preliminary squad of players from which he will name his final party.

It is understood Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott, Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly and Everton’s Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall are also among the names selected in Tuchel’s extended list.

Attacking duo Cole Palmer and Phil Foden are on there too, after being two of the biggest omissions from Tuchel’s squad for the World Cup.

That decision was deemed a mistake from certain circles, given they are two of English football’s most creative players.

Meanwhile, Tuchel is expected to omit Jordan Henderson, Dean Henderson and John Stones because of injury.

Joining Eintracht Frankfurt in May 2023 on a free transfer from Wolfsburg, the then 24-year-old Marmoush found form in his first season with the German side scoring 17 times across all competitions.

He then scored 15 Bundesliga goals from 8.9 expected goals (xG) during the first half of 2024-25, while registering nine assists in 17 league appearances. Across all competitions before leaving Germany, he had 20 goals and 13 assists in 26 games.

Set-pieces were another notable part of his game. Marmoush became the first player in Europe’s top five leagues since Lionel Messi in 2019 to score directly from a free-kick in three consecutive competitive matches. Manchester City then paid £59m for him in January 2025.

The early signs were encouraging. Marmoush scored his first career hat-trick against Newcastle, struck the winner in City’s FA Cup quarter-final at Bournemouth and then scored from long range against the same opponents in the Premier League. It was judged to be the goal of the season.

But there were difficult moments too.

With City trailing Crystal Palace in the 2025 FA Cup final, Erling Haaland handed Marmoush the ball for a penalty. His effort was saved by Dean Henderson as City went on to lose at Wembley.

Former Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha does not believe that moment should define Marmoush’s spell at the club.

“When I see Marmoush, I don’t see the penalty miss,” Onuoha told BBC Sport. “I see the strength he has with some of the runs he makes in behind.”