LONDON (AP) — Jude Bellingham might have to wait to get back in the England team, with coach Thomas Tuchel saying Wednesday he is in no rush to change his system to accommodate the return of the Real Madrid star.
Since Bellingham last played for England — in a 3-1 loss to Senegal in a friendly in June — Morgan Rogers has been installed in the No. 10 role and starred in recent 5-0 wins over Serbia and Latvia that helped to clinch a spot in next year's World Cup.
Bellingham is back in the squad after fully recovering from shoulder surgery and Tuchel sees him as a No. 10, placing him direct competition with Rogers.
“They are friends so this can also be a friendly competition,” Tuchel said at a news conference ahead of England's home game against Serbia in World Cup qualifying on Thursday. "You don’t have to be enemies, you don't have to hate each other. They are respectful, they are friends with each other, and they fight at the moment for the same position.
“Can they play together? Yes, but in a different structure and maybe it’s not the moment to change our structure.”
Working against Bellingham is the fact that he and Phil Foden, another attacking midfielder who has regained a place in the squad, haven't taken part in a full training session so far this week, Tuchel said. That will happen later Wednesday.
Add Chelsea playmaker Cole Palmer, who is currently sidelined by a groin injury, into the mix and England has enviable options in attacking midfield.
Tuchel, however, said he won't try to cram all of his star players into the same team, as some previous managers have done unsuccessfully.
"Not because we don’t like (them), not because they don’t individually deserve it, but we will always do what’s best for the team,” Tuchel told British radio station talkSPORT.
“We will always do what’s best for winning, we will always do what’s best for balance, and we will try to keep the clarity, even if it means that we have to take tough decisions."
England became the first European nation to qualify for the World Cup last month, so the pressure is off Tuchel and the team heading into upcoming games against Serbia and Albania that wrap up group play.
The German coach said he isn't thinking ahead to next year's tournament just yet.
“So much can happen,” he said. "Nobody wants injuries to happen but injuries can happen, players can pull out, drop in form, other players can come in form, so I'm very much open for the next months.
“That's why I don't feel the pressure, I don't feel the World Cup urge at the moment.”
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers, centre, challenges for the ball with Liverpool's Ryan Gravenberch during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Aston Villa in Liverpool, England, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham reacts during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Rayo Vallecano and Real Madrid in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
England's manager Thomas Tuchel speaks during a press conference of England's national soccer team in London, England, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025, ahead of the world cup qualifying soccer match against Serbia. (John Walton/PA via AP, Pool)
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Tiger Woods said Tuesday he is stepping away to seek treatment, four days after his vehicle crashed in Florida and he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. He will miss the Masters for the second straight year.
“This is necessary in order for me to prioritize my well-being and work toward lasting recovery,” Woods said in social media posts.
Woods pleaded not guilty in his driving under the influence case in Florida on Tuesday, hours after a sheriff’s report said deputies found two pain pills in his pocket and he showed signs of impairment after his SUV clipped a trailer and rolled over on its side.
The online court docket for Martin County showed Woods entered a written plea of not guilty and planned to waive his April 23 arraignment hearing.
It's the second time Woods has taken a leave following a car crash. In 2009, after his SUV plowed into a fire hydrant and tree outside his home near Orlando, he took a leave of absence to work on being a better person. That lasted four months and he returned at the Masters.
Woods’ eyes were bloodshot and glassy, his pupils dilated and he had opioid pills — identified as hydrocodone — on him when interviewed at the scene of the crash, according to the arrest report released by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office.
Woods’ movements were slow and lethargic, he was sweating as he talked to deputies in the back seat of an air-conditioned car and he told them he had taken prescription medication earlier in the morning, according to the report.
Woods told deputies he had been looking at his phone and fiddling with the radio moments before he hit the trailer, the report said.
Woods has not played an official event since the 2024 British Open. He was recovering from a seventh back surgery in October and was trying to return at the Masters, where he is a five-time champion.
“I'm committed to take the time needed to return in a healthier, stronger and more focused place, both personally and professionally,” Woods said in his statement.
Woods will not be in Augusta, Georgia, where he was to appear with Masters chairman Fred Ridley to celebrate the opening of a refurbished municipal course that involved Woods, or for the prestigious Masters Club dinner for champions.
“Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament fully support Tiger Woods as he focuses on his well-being. Although Tiger will not be joining us in person next week, his presence will be felt here in Augusta,” Ridley said in a statement.
That means a break from more than just golf. He serves a key role on the PGA Tour board by leading its Future Competition Committee reshaping the schedule. A tour spokesman said Woods did not take part in Tuesday's meeting, and the work would continue in his absence.
“Over the last year, I have come to deeply appreciate Tiger not only for his impact on the game, but for his friendship and the perspective he has shared with me as I joined the golf industry,” said PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp, who started last summer. “My thoughts are with him and his family as he takes this step, for which he has my full respect and support.”
Woods’ defense attorney, Douglas Duncan, didn’t respond to an email and phone call after the plea was entered Tuesday.
Woods was traveling at high speeds on a beachside, residential road on Jupiter Island with a 30 mph (nearly 50 kph) when the accident occurred. The truck had $5,000 in damage, according to the report.
The truck driver and another person helped Woods out of his vehicle through the passenger window. Neither Woods nor the truck driver were injured.
During a field sobriety test, deputies noticed Woods limping and that he had a compression sock over his right knee. Woods explained he had undergone seven back surgeries and over 20 surgeries on his right leg, and that his ankle seizes up while walking.
Woods, who was hiccupping during questioning, continuously moved his head during one of the sobriety tests and deputies had to tell him several times to keep his head straight, the report said.
“Based on my observations of Woods, how he performed the exercises and based on my training, knowledge, and experience, I believed that Woods normal faculties were impaired, and he was unable to safely operate the motor vehicle,” the deputy wrote after the tests.
Woods, 50, is the most influential figure in golf and has become as recognizable as any athlete in the world. The first person of Black heritage to win the Masters in 1997, he has captivated golf fans with records likely never to be broken.
But his injuries have kept him from accomplishing more, including those suffered in the 2021 car crash in Los Angeles that damaged his right leg so badly he said doctors considered amputation.
At this latest crash, Woods agreed to a Breathalyzer test that showed no signs of alcohol, but he refused a urine test, authorities said. He was arrested and released on bail eight hours later.
Woods, who has been involved in four crashes over the years, is charged with driving under the influence with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test.
Under a change to Florida law last year, refusing a law enforcement officer’s request to take a breath, blood or urine test became a misdemeanor, even for a first offense.
AP Golf Writer Doug Ferguson in Jacksonville, Florida, contributed to this report.
Follow Mike Schneider on the social platform Bluesky: @mikeysid.bsky.social.
This handout photo provided by the Martin County Sheriff's Office shows Tiger Woods, in Stuart, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026. (Martin County Sheriff's Office via AP)
Tiger Woods leaves the Martin County Sheriff's Office jail facility following his involvement in a car crash where he was arrested on a DUI charge on Friday, March 27, 2026 (AP Photo/Jim Rassol)
This photo provided by the Martin County Sheriff's Office shows skid marks near the overturned vehicle in a rollover crash which involved Tiger Woods in Jupiter Island, Fla., on Friday, March 27, 2026. (Martin County Sheriff's Office via AP)
Golfer Tiger Woods stands by his overturned vehicle in Jupiter Island, Fla., on Friday, March 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Jason Oteri)
