England manager Thomas Tuchel has warned that he won’t take “unprofessional risks” by resting players for the benefit of their club sides.

The club versus country dilemma has been ongoing for years, with club coaches understandably striving to keep their players as fit and rested as possible for their own squads. Tuchel has experienced this issue firsthand, and in the past, Pep Guardiola has voiced concerns about players sustaining injuries while on international duty.

While presenting his perspective on the matter, Tuchel took a jab at Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, highlighting that club managers can’t expect to have everything their way.

“Considering Declan Rice’s participation after a 7-1 first leg in the subsequent match with Arsenal, I didn’t get the impression they prioritized us,” Tuchel noted, referring to the Gunners’ midfielder being part of what was essentially a non-critical Champions League match against PSV Eindhoven this month.

“So I don’t think we have to break our heads about this,” he added.

“I take care of the players. We take care about the schedule. But it would be the wrong signal to tell players: ‘You have tough matches coming up so I rest you.’ We have a qualifier to play, we do what’s good for us, we monitor them, we are in contact with the clubs and we won’t take unprofessional risks.

“I feel responsible for the players. I don’t want the player to be injured, I want the players to play quarter‑finals of the Champions League because I want to watch it. We take care about us and the clubs take care about themselves and the main focus is taking care of the players.”

England continue their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign against Latvia on Monday night.