New Delhi, Sep 5 : England head coach Thomas Tuchel applauded defender March Guehi for handling his failed move to Liverpool with a brilliant attitude.

As per reports, Liverpool had finalised a deal with Crystal Palace on deadline day, with Guehi undergoing his medical, but head coach Oliver Glasner absolutely refused to let his skipper leave without a viable back-up option.

"Of course we had a chat with him. He looks absolutely fine and impressive on the field, he has a good couple of weeks behind him on the performance side. He is the main driver of Crystal Palace's success, he is the captain and the leader and he played very impressively at the end of last season.

"He has continued like that in camp and he handles it with respect and with and with brilliant attitude," said Tuchel in the press conference.

England continue their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign with the visit of Andorra to Villa Park on Saturday, September 6 and a trip to face Serbia in Belgrade on Tuesday, September 9.

Newcastle United defender Dan Burns, who was present with Tuchel to face the media, admitted he views the Crystal Palace skipper as a direct competitior for the starting spot in the England playing XI but said it only pushes both players to do better.

"The way the gaffer has divided up, yes (On if Guehi is his direct competitor). Obviously, Marc is a top player and very close to move to Liverpool as well. I feel like it keeps us pushing, and I feel like that's what the gaffer wants in possession and the patterns he wants us to get further up the pitch, and it suits that.

"Yeah, right at this moment, I'd probably agree that he is the direct competition," said Burns.

/IANS