England vs Spain LIVE: Latest team news and line-ups from Nations League clash

“I’m happy, I’m enjoying my football,” Rogers said of his own start to the new campaign. “I’m feeling as good as I’ve ever felt playing, contributing, scoring goals, assists, creating chances. I’m loving it. It’s been challenging at times, obviously a good start and then tailored off a bit at the end, which is disappointing. But that’s football, and I just can’t wait to get going and keep going and keep pushing myself and keep trying to improve.”

While Tuchel was speaking at Spurs, Morgan Rogers was upstairs defending his close friend and Chelsea teammate. “Unfortunately he couldn’t be here, but I think he’s got to focus on his body after what he went through last year,” Rogers told a huddle of journalists. “He needs to be in a good physical state and that obviously comes first as players. You want to be in the best fighting-fit shape if you can.”

Does Rogers miss his best mate in football, the player he roomed with for so many years playing together in England’s youth teams, and now his partner in crime at Stamford Bridge?

“Nah, I’m all right having the break from him, to be honest,” Rogers smiled. “Being around him 24/7 can be quite tough, so having the break’s quite nice. But of course, I love playing with Cole. I love being around him … I’m disappointed he’s not here, obviously, from a selfish point of view. But I know it’ll do him the greater good moving forward, that we can get the best version of him throughout the whole season and in an England shirt moving forward.

“I think as a nation you want Cole Palmer and players like that in an English shirt, but it’s not always possible with the games and what we’ve got coming up. You have to manage yourself, especially after what he went through last year, he doesn’t want to go through that again. So he’s made a decision for himself to look after his body.”

England have been based at Tottenham’s training complex in London this week, and on Friday the building was the scene of a flurry of media activity. There were questions about Saturday night’s opponents Spain, questions about English identity, questions about how players get over the heartache of losing to Argentina. But the most emotive was not really about football at all: where is Cole Palmer?

The answer was in the Caribbean, with a personal rehab coach to work on his fitness. Palmer’s decision to pull out of this three-week, four-game England camp was put down to “load management” after a campaign disrupted by injury last season. It clearly irked England manager Thomas Tuchel.

“He misses too many opportunities,” said Tuchel. “I don’t blame him for it. It is just a fact. He misses way too many camps with injuries. I only want to rely on what I witness and see within my team, and for that you have to be in camp.”

Voting for the Ballon d’Or closes next week, and by a quirk of the fixture list it just so happens that the two favourites for the award meet at Wembley on Saturday night. England’s brave bronze men take on Spain’s World Cup winners, and beyond the chance to take charge of 2026/27 Uefa Nations League 1C, the game offers Harry Kane and Lamine Yamal one last opportunity to woo swing voters.

Welcome to the Ballon d’Or 2026, a world of allegiance and betrayal, of politics and legacy, like Succession meets Real Housewives. The award has become more tribal than ever, contested by such fragile egos that nobody can say what they really think. Players now launch full-blown PR campaigns, and at this point we are really only one step away from direct canvassing, from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia knocking on Henry Winter’s door with a pamphlet titled “A Vote For Kvara Is A Vote For Change”.

With England players now said to feel the way they went out of the World Cup will be ‘talked about in 30 years’, the danger for Tuchel is that he doesn’t have the same ‘respect’ in the dressing room, writes Miguel Delaney in his latest Inside Football newsletter:

Spain are missing Pedro Porro and Joan Garcia, while Marcos Llorente has retired from the international game.

Predicted Spain XI: Simon; E Garcia, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella; Rodri, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, N Williams; Oyarzabal

Thomas Tuchel has seen a raft of withdrawals from his squad, with Cole Palmer, Declan Rice, Tino Livramento, Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo all pulling out injured, while the likes of Reece James and John Stones were unavailable for selection anyway due to injury.

Predicted England XI: Pickford; Quansah, Konsa, Guehi, O’Reilly; Anderson, Scott; Saka, Bellingham, Gordon; Kane

England v Spain will be broadcast ITV1 and viewers in the United Kingdom can stream the game on ITVX.

Coverage begins at 6.45pm.