England: Thomas Tuchel not angry with eight withdrawals for Japan friendly

He said: “This is the reality of the end of the season and the end of March, the reality of players being involved in European matches and more than just one competition with all the cups going on.”

Tuchel has named an expanded 35-man squad for the matches against Uruguay and Japan at Wembley.

He divided his players into two camps throughout the fixture; the first consisted primarily of fringe players, the second more regular players.

“We have players playing more minutes in the camp than last season, so there are some concerns,” Tuchel said.

“The players needed and deserved a mental break from football. We could see the energy they had when they came back to camp and reconnected to the new environment.

“We want them to perform for their respective clubs, but the reality is this is our last camp before going to America, so we want to recommit to our principles.

“It’s disappointing but I’m not mad at the players, I’m not mad.

“I got the feeling that everyone was dying to come. Some of the injured players even stayed to get their treatment. This shows that they want to be with the group.

“Nobody left right away. That’s a good spirit and that’s the way it should be.”

The World Cup will be held from June 11 to July 19 in the USA, Canada and Mexico.

England will play friendly matches against New Zealand and Costa Rica in June.

They will begin their World Cup campaign against Croatia on June 17, and will face Ghana on June 23 and Panama on June 27.