Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Ollie Watkins all pull out of the England squad for September’s UEFA Nations League fixtures, the Three Lions announce.
Three England players have pulled out of the Three Lions’ squad for September’s Nations League matches against the Republic of Ireland and Finland, including Manchester City and Chelsea stars.
Following their agonising runners-up finish at Euro 2024 and the subsequent resignation of Gareth Southgate, England kick off a new era under the temporary leadership of Lee Carsley this month.
The 50-year-old – who led the Under-21s to the European Championship title last season – takes charge of his first match on Saturday, when England head to Dublin for their opening match in the second tier of the UEFA Nations League.
The Euro 2024 runners-up then return to Wembley to host fellow League B Group 2 rivals Finland on September 10, as Carsley bids to lead England back to League A at the first time of asking.
The interim Three Lions boss confirmed a 26-man selection earlier this month, but three members of the squad have now been forced to pull out, including Man City playmaker Phil Foden.
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The PFA Players’ Player of the Year has been absent from Man City’s last two Premier League games due to a stomach bug, which Pep Guardiola revealed he was on a course of antibiotics for.
The Citizens boss also confirmed that he did not expect Foden to report for international duty this month, and England have now confirmed that he did not arrive at St George’s Park with the rest of the team.
As well as Foden, Chelsea protege Cole Palmer and Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins have returned to their respective clubs, having had injuries assessed by England medical staff upon their arrivals.
In their own statement, Chelsea said that Palmer would rehabilitate from “ongoing issues” for the remainder of the international break, but it is not known what is wrong with Watkins, who played just over an hour of Villa’s win over Leicester City at the weekend.
“Cole Palmer, Ollie Watkins and Phil Foden will play no part in England’s forthcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures,” England said in a statement. “Foden did not report through illness and is ruled out of the matches against Republic of Ireland and Finland.
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“The Three Lions squad reported to St. George’s Park on Tuesday but, following assessment, both Palmer and Watkins returned to their clubs to continue rehabilitation for ongoing issues.”
Will England call up replacements for Foden, Palmer, Watkins?
Even though the trio’s withdrawals leaves Carsley noticeably shorter in attack, England confirmed that they are currently not planning to call up any replacements, which spells good news for prospective debutants.
With Foden and Palmer absent, Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White and Chelsea’s Noni Madueke have been bumped up the attacking pecking order and seemingly now have better chances of making their debuts this month.
Another uncapped player – Lille’s Angel Gomes – is an alternative option in the number 10 position too, but Watkins pulling out and Ivan Toney being snubbed means that Carsley has no recognised backup to captain Harry Kane.
The Bayern Munich attacker is expected to start both games regardless, but should anything happen to him, West Ham United’s Jarrod Bowen is arguably the next best thing in the number nine role.