Tuchel opens up on Hudson-Odoi's Chelsea future and England U21s snub

Callum Hudson-Odoi seems to be back down the pecking order after Reece James has made the right wingback role firmly his own.

Speaking about the winger, according to The Guardian, Thomas Tuchel said: “There’s always room for improvement here in training.

“It’s hard to argue that he needs regular game time to improve his level. At the same time, it’s not only about letting players go. If we want to compete in all competitions, it’s also about numbers.

“You need a squad of 20 to 21 players. I have the feeling that Callum decided to fight for his place here. He had a very good pre-season. The door is always open to sneak through. At the moment, there is no loan.”

Hudson-Odoi has declined to go for international duty with the England U21s side and Tuchel also opined on that.

“It’s his decision and nothing to do with my opinion or the club’s,” the German said.

“If I speculate a little bit I think it’s about disappointment that he is not nominated for the first team, but at the same time maybe he did not have enough minutes to be nominated for the first team.

“I could see the upgrade in having some minutes and being in a leading role for the Under 21s, but he decided differently so he will deal with the consequences.”

It seems like a critical time for the youngster and he needs to up his game to impress his manager and get back on the fast-track to make it at the highest level.