Thomas Tuchel has made clear that a club's league status will not decide who he picks for England, even if Manchester City end up playing outside the top division.
The England head coach was responding to questions about what a City relegation would mean for his squad. An independent commission ruled on Tuesday that the club broke Premier League financial rules across the 2009-10 to 2017-18 seasons. City deny the allegations and have lodged an appeal, arguing the panel's decision is flawed on the law, the principles applied and the facts. Penalties have yet to be confirmed, but the options on the table include a points deduction, a fine or removal from the competition.
Tuchel told journalists on Friday that he will keep every option open and judge each player individually. His priority, he explained, is building the strongest possible group for each camp and tournament, and a player's division would not automatically disqualify anyone.
City's Elliot Anderson and Marc Guehi are in the current squad. Nico O'Reilly joined them but returned to his club early because of an injury.
England face Croatia in Rijeka on Saturday in the Nations League, with kick-off at 17:00 BST. Tuchel said the City ruling has been the dominant topic around the squad this week. He declined to share his own opinion, saying he does not know enough about the case to add anything useful. The coach said the City players have spoken about it with the staff, but only briefly, and that the group is focused on the match.
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