England coach Thomas Tuchel acknowledged it was “maybe unfair” that Trent Alexander-Arnold continues to be overlooked for a recall to the squad ahead of the World Cup.
Despite Kyle Walker retiring from international soccer and Reece James being injured, Alexander-Arnold — a star player at Real Madrid — still cannot get back in favor with Tuchel as one of his right-back options.
The German-born coach preferred Newcastle’s Tino Livramento, Tottenham’s Djed Spence and Bayer Leverkusen’s Jarell Quansah — typically a center back — in his original squad. When Quansah pulled out with an injury, Tuchel opted to call up Ben White, who has barely played for Arsenal this season, instead of Alexander-Arnold.
Asked Thursday why this was the case, Tuchel said it was “just a choice.”
“It’s a sporting choice and a difficult choice, and maybe a hard choice, and maybe to a certain degree, maybe unfair, but these choices have to be made,” Tuchel said.
“I know,” he added, “that it creates noise when you leave a player like Trent out, and, yes, we had a call. I tried to explain the situation, but he just has to accept it.”
White previously made himself unavailable to England after walking out on the squad midway through the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. He has never publicly explained why.
Former England coach Gareth Southgate wanted the 28-year-old White before the 2024 European Championship but was unable to persuade him.
White’s answer was very different when Tuchel called.
“Once I asked Ben if he would be ready to play for me and for England, he straight away, without hesitation, said he would love that, and he would love to come back,” Tuchel said. “And he is desperate to come back.
“The reaction came within seconds, and was very authentic, and very, very positive. He was very emotional about it, that showed me that he really means it.”
Tuchel said White has needed to “clear the air” with his England teammates this week.
“He has my support,” Tuchel said. “Hopefully, he gets the support from the spectators.”
England plays Uruguay in a friendly on Friday, before facing Japan on Tuesday — both at Wembley Stadium.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
England manager Thomas Tuchel attends a training session in London, Thursday, March 26, 2026 ahead of the international friendly soccer match against Uruguay on Friday. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)
England manager Thomas Tuchel attends a training session in London, Thursday, March 26, 2026 ahead of the international friendly soccer match against Uruguay on Friday. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks had their worst day since the war with Iran started, as doubt took over again from hope on Wall Street about a possible end to the conflict. The S&P 500 fell 1.7% Thursday. The index is headed for a fifth straight losing week, which would be the longest such losing streak in almost four years. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 2.4%. They’re the latest flip-flops for financial markets this week after Iran rejected a U.S. offer for a ceasefire. Oil prices rose more than 4%, and Treasury yields climbed in the bond market.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
NEW YORK (AP) — Doubt is taking over again from hope on Wall Street about a possible end to the war with Iran, and stocks are back to falling as oil prices rise Thursday.
The S&P 500 sank 1.4%, more than erasing its gain from the day before, and is back on track for a fifth straight losing week. That stretches back to before the war with Iran began, and it would be the longest such streak in nearly four years.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 384 points, or 0.8%, with an hour remaining in trading, and the Nasdaq composite was 2% lower.
Stock markets likewise fell sharply across much of Asia and Europe. They’re the latest flip - flops for financial markets in a week that began with President Donald Trump’s announcement of productive talks about ending the war. That led to Iran’s public dismissal of a U.S. ceasefire proposal, while Iran issued its own plan, which includes reparations for the war.
On Thursday, the fighting continued, and thousands more U.S. troops neared the region. Iran, meanwhile, tightened its grip on the crucial Strait of Hormuz. The narrow waterway typically sees a fifth of the world’s oil exit the Persian Gulf through it to reach customers worldwide, and blockages there have sent oil prices near $120 per barrel at times.
A barrel of Brent crude oil climbed 4.8% to settle at $101.89 as hopes dimmed for a potential return to normal for the strait. That’s up from roughly $70 before the war began. Benchmark U.S. crude rose 4.6% to $94.48 per barrel.
“They better get serious soon, before it is too late,” Trump said on his social media network about Iran’s negotiators, “because once that happens, there is NO TURNING BACK, and it won’t be pretty!”
The rise in oil prices worsened worries about high inflation and sent Treasury yields higher in the bond market.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury climbed to 4.41% from 4.33% late Wednesday and from just 3.97% before the war started. That leap has already sent rates higher for mortgages and other kinds of loans for U.S. households and businesses, which slows the economy.
A report on Thursday morning said slightly more U.S. workers filed for unemployment benefits last week, though the number is still low compared with historical figures.
A slowing job market would typically encourage the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates to juice the economy. But hopes have cratered on Wall Street for a possible cut to interest rates this year, even though traders came into 2026 forecasting several. That’s because lower interest rates carry the risk of worsening inflation, and the spike in oil prices has heightened those worries.
On Wall Street, tech stocks were the heaviest weights on the market.
Meta Platforms fell 8.1%, and Alphabet sank 3.3% after each had held relatively steady the day before, when a jury found Instagram and YouTube liable in a landmark social-media addiction trial.
The financial penalties were small compared with the companies’ vast profits, but it could herald a watershed moment that invites more lawsuits.
Other Big Tech stocks also fell, including drops of 3.6% for Nvidia and 1.8% for Amazon. Apple was an outlier and rose 0.6%.
Commercial Metals fell 2.2% after the maker of steel rebar and other products reported a weaker profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. CEO Peter Matt said bad weather hurt its North American operations during the quarter, but underlying market conditions looked favorable.
In stock markets abroad, Germany’s DAX lost 1.5%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng sank 1.9% and South Korea’s Kospi dropped 3.2%. Japan’s Nikkei 225 had one of the world’s milder losses, at 0.3%.
AP Business Writers Chan Ho-him and Matt Ott contributed.
Bobby Charmak works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Wednesday, March 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
James Denaro, center, and Dilip Patel, left, work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Wednesday, March 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Currency traders watch monitors near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), top center, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won, top left, at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, March 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Currency traders watch monitors near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), top center, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won, top left, at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, March 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Currency traders watch monitors near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), right, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, March 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
