Rico Lewis recalled by England after Nico OReilly injury

Thomas Tuchel has called up Manchester City defender Rico Lewis to the England squad for Tuesday’s home match against Czech Republic after Nico O’Reilly was ruled out through injury.

England did not initially replace O’Reilly, who missed Saturday’s 7-0 victory over Croatia. However, according to The Sun, Lewis has now been added to the group after helping England Under-21s secure qualification for the 2027 European Under-21 Championship.

The 21-year-old had been with the Under-21 side during the international break and played a part in their successful qualification campaign. His promotion to the senior squad gives him the opportunity to impress Tuchel, although he may have only one match in which to make an impression.

Tuchel had said he would “do everything he can” to make O’Reilly available for Saturday’s game against Croatia, but the midfielder was unable to recover in time. He returned to Manchester for “further assessment”, apparently as a precaution after sustaining the injury.

Lewis has five senior England caps, but his most recent appearance came in November 2024, before Tuchel took charge of the national team. His return to the squad represents England’s first call-up for almost two years.

The defender’s last international appearance came in England’s 3-0 away win against Greece in November 2024, when he played at left-back. Since then, he has continued to feature for the Under-21s and helped them qualify for next year’s European Under-21 Championship in Albania and Serbia.

His selection also represents a show of support from Tuchel for a player who has spent much of this season on the substitutes’ bench at Manchester City. Lewis normally operates at right-back but has also been used on the left during his England career.

England will face Czech Republic in their final match of the current international break on Tuesday. With O’Reilly unavailable, Lewis is now in contention to feature in the senior side for the first time since November 2024.