For Marc Guéhi, the flicker of self-doubt was understandable. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had starred for England at Euro 2024, a first-choice selection under Gareth Southgate, and his status was intact at the end of Lee Carsley’s caretaker spell in the first half of last season.

Enter Thomas Tuchel and it is worth remembering that this was the manager who had sanctioned Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Did Tuchel fancy him? When the new broom swept Dan Burn into the starting XI for his first game in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an unused substitute, it did not look great.

Tuchel started Guéhi in the next game, against Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was unable to pick him for his second camp in June, which took in the matches against Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had sustained an eye injury during Palace’s historic FA Cup final victory against Manchester City.

“I’d say it’s natural for every player to almost question that,” Guéhi says, reflecting on his absence against Albania. “You know, new manager coming in … who knows what the...