Two England players withdraw from Lee Carsley’s squad for Sunday’s UEFA Nations League fixture against Finland.
England will be without two players for their trip to face Finland in the UEFA Nations League on Sunday.
The Three Lions were left stunned on Thursday night as Greece pulled off a famous 2-1 victory at Wembley Stadium, the three points being sealed deep into added-on time.
Lee Carsley‘s decision to flood the midfield with playmakers and wingers, as well as using Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham as false nines, backfired to hit England’s hopes of topping the group.
Focus now turns to trying to overcome a Finland side for the second time in the space of a month, Carsley overseeing a 2-0 triumph at Wembley in September
Gareth Southgate‘s interim successor has been handed a double boost through Jack Grealish and Harry Kane each returning to training after picking up knocks over the past week.
However, they are effectively acting as replacements for two players who will not be making the journey to Scandinavia.
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Saka one of two players to miss out
During the early stages of the first half against Greece, Bukayo Saka suffered an injury to his right leg and needed to be replaced by Noni Madueke.
Given the short turnaround and alternatives at Carsley’s disposal, it was always unlikely that the Arsenal winger would be risked on Sunday.
Saka’s absence has now been confirmed, the 23-year-old now able to enjoy a brief rest after 13 consecutive starts for club and country ahead of another hectic run of fixtures for the Gunners.
Meanwhile, Curtis Jones will also not travel to Finland courtesy of a personal commitment, the Liverpool midfielder having only been a late addition to the squad earlier this week.
England are now in line to take a 22-player squad into their upcoming fixture, Carsley left to contemplate how to bring about a greater balance to his team.
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What changes could Carsley make?
If Kane is deemed fully fit, the skipper should return to the fold, potentially as a replacement for Saka with Bellingham dropping deeper to play alongside Declan Rice in the engine room.
Kyle Walker, Marc Guehi, Angel Gomes and Madueke are also potential inclusions if Carsley opts to freshen up his team after the embarrassment of Thursday night.
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