According to Football London on Friday, November 6, 2026, Arsenal have been handed a boost after Thomas Tuchel left Noni Madueke out of England’s squad for the upcoming UEFA Nations League matches against Croatia and Spain.

Madueke had been tipped for selection, especially with fellow Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka unavailable due to a quadriceps injury. But despite his recent form, Tuchel chose not to include the former Chelsea winger.

The 24-year-old has scored in each of Arsenal’s recent wins, finding the net against Slavia Prague on Wednesday and Nottingham Forest in the Premier League. He has recorded three goals and one assist across his last eight appearances for the Gunners.

Madueke was part of Tuchel’s World Cup squad over the summer, starting four matches as England reached the semi-finals. He also missed the previous international camp, which included Nations League games against Spain, Czechia and Croatia, and reportedly used that setback as motivation to improve at club level.

Declan Rice, by contrast, has been recalled after sitting out the last camp for workload management. He has played regularly for Arsenal since then, including in Wednesday’s Champions League match against Slavia Prague.

Mikel Arteta defended selecting Rice for that game despite rotating other players, saying the midfielder had had enough time to recover after his previous appearance against Fleetwood. However, Rice’s return to international duty may prompt concerns about his workload given his injury history.

Rice dealt with hamstring discomfort during the summer World Cup and was reportedly given injections to remain available. He was also seen holding the back of his right hamstring during Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Everton. Arsenal will hope he can manage his fitness during the international break.

Ben White has also returned to the England squad after recovering from the knee injury that kept him out of the World Cup. Arsenal teammates Eberechi Eze and Myles Lewis-Skelly have been selected as well.

England are scheduled to host Croatia at Wembley on November 12, then travel to Madrid to play Spain three days later.