The AC Milan midfielder was a surprise name in Tuchel's squad for their World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia.
Asked about Tuchel's decision, Heskey told Tribalfootball.com: "Well, he was at Chelsea when Tuchel was there.
"So you make an impression on someone and it sticks with them at time.
"And then, I'm guessing he'd watched a lot of his games and seen something there for him to say, 'Yeah, he's still got something. I believe that I could get this out of him. I believe that's what I need in this position'.
"So, that's the only thing I could put to it, to be honest with you. But I'd I'd be lying if I were say, 'Yes, we know he's done this and he's...' Because with only two games gone, it's difficult to say why is he actually in there."
Free hit
However, with England facing Andorra tonight, Heskey believes the standard of opponent offers Tuchel the chance to run the rule over Loftus-Cheek without the risk.
He continued: "It's definitely a free hit that you can actually look at some players that are fringe players and say, 'Okay. Well, show me. And if you can't show me in this, then I might have to just say you're out of the selection for the foreseeable future until you're well into your season and you're showing me, on a consistent basis, what you can do'."
- Emile Heskey was speaking to Tribalfootball on behalf of Casino.org, the trusted guide to UK casinos