Chelsea wide man Noni Madueke is reportedly fit to feature for England in their UEFA Nations League games this month after a slight injury scare over the weekend.
Chelsea winger Noni Madueke has been passed fit to play for England in their two UEFA Nations League fixtures this month.
Madueke was forced off in the closing stages of Chelsea’s draw with Nottingham Forest on Sunday, hurting his foot following altercations between the two sets of players.
The 22-year-old therefore faced the prospect of missing out on just his second England call-up, after getting his first taste of senior action last month.
Madueke came off the bench to play the final 25 minutes of the Three Lions’ 2-0 win over Finland at Wembley, being handed his debut by interim boss Lee Carsley, who worked with him at youth level.
England will face Greece at Wembley on Thursday, before heading out to Helsinki to play Finland three days later, as they sit top of the section after two matches.
Madueke unscathed despite injury scare
© Imago
According to the Daily Mail, Madueke will be available for selection to England when Greece travel to Wembley on matchday three of the Nations League this week.
That will be positive news for Carsley, who has seen many of his squad come down with injuries over the last week which have put them out of contention.
Kobbie Mainoo, Morgan Gibbs-White and Ezri Konsa have all pulled out of the squad, but Madueke is back training after joining up with the England group.
It will also be good news for Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca, as the Blues have a tricky run of games on the horizon once his players return from international duty.
A trip to league leaders Liverpool is next, before Newcastle United, Manchester United and Arsenal await in the following three.
Chelsea’s large squad means Madueke can be rested in the Conference League and the EFL Cup, and Maresca will hope the young winger can come through England’s fixtures injury-free this week.
Positive injury news for Carsley after multiple withdrawals
© Imago
It has been a difficult week already for Carsley, with three of his squad pulling out, and others joining the camp with injury worries.
Harry Kane, who won his 100th cap in September, was forced off for Bayern Munich at the weekend, with manager Vincent Kompany claiming post-match: “It’s still too early to say what Kane has. We hope it’s nothing serious”.
Bayern have since declared him fit to join up with England, but his minutes may be monitored over the two games, especially with the Three Lions in such a strong position in the group, and playing weaker opponents.
Similar words were echoed by Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo about Gibbs-White, but he has been forced to pull out of the squad after going off in that ill-tempered affair with Chelsea.
In defence, Konsa was an early casualty for Aston Villa on Sunday and has also pulled out, but Madueke’s Chelsea teammate Levi Colwill appears to be fine after also going off at Stamford Bridge.
Harry Maguire was likely the first-choice candidate to replace Konsa in the squad, but later on in the same game at Villa Park, he sustained a problem and left the stadium wearing a protective boot, raising concerns about the severity of his issue.
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