England’s preparation for the September international break matches in the Nations League has been put in jeopardy after three players withdrew from the camp of the Three Lions on Tuesday.
Coached by interim boss Lee Carsley, England will face Ireland and Finland in two fixtures in Dublin and Wembley Stadium in London. The Three Lions travel to face the Republic of Ireland in Dublin on Saturday, September 7, and they will host Finland at Wembley on September 10, three days later.
While the matches will be the first for the team since they lost to Spain in the Euro 2024 final on Sunday, July 14, it will also be Carsley’s first set of games since becoming England’s interim manager since the stepping down of former manager Gareth Southgate who led England to the final of the UEFA Nations League in Germany.
Now, three key players in his squad for the September matches have pulled out for various reasons. The first is Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden, Chelsea star Cole Palmer, and former Brentford striker Ivan Toney, who has now moved to Saudi Arabia.
The English Football Association released a statement stating the reasons for their withdrawal as they attributed the edits of Chelsea forward Palmer and Aston Villa striker Watkins to the need to continue their rehabilitation from ongoing issues.
The two players had reported to St George’s Park for duty, but they have now gone back to their respective clubs.
Updated England’s squad for September international fixtures:
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Nick Pope (Newcastle).
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Tino Livramento (Newcastle), Rico Lewis (Man City), Levi Colwill (Chelsea), Harry Maguire (Man Utd), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), John Stones (Man City).
Midfielders: Conor Gallagher (Atletico Madrid), Kobbie Mainoo (Man Utd), Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest), Angel Gomes (Lille), Declan Rice (Arsenal).
Forwards: Noni Madueke (Chelsea), Jack Grealish (Man City), Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal).
