England squad announcement LIVE: Cole Palmer and Declan Rice injury doubts for Lee Carsley’s final group

Thomas Tuchel has signed an 18-month contract through to the 2026 World Cup, which means he does not start until January 1 and will miss England’s matches this month.

“Let’s see, it’s 18 months, then we agreed to sit together,” said Tuchel when explaining his contract with England. “I have good experience with 18 months [laughs]. I’m working on my long-term game also.

“In this particular case it was important for me to have a frame around it as it’s a bit of a step into the dark for me as I’m used to working every day [with players].

“The last piece of it from me to understand that this is something that can really excite me to the fullest was the timeframe of 18-months but to demand from myself to not lose the focus. It’s a good timeframe because it will help us focus. It is very streamlined.”

Lee Carsley names his final England squad this afternoon before Thomas Tuchel takes over as manager on January 1.

The interim boss will remain in charge for the Nations League matches against Greece in Athens and Ireland at Wembley later this month, with promotion on the line.

Carsley has several injury questions, which could see the Under-21s manager decide to bring a couple of fresh faces into his squad.

The announcement will come at 2pm today – and we’ll bring you all the updates and reaction in today’s live blog.