England’s upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures have been hit with a setback as Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, and Ollie Watkins will not be joining the squad. The trio will miss matches against the Republic of Ireland and Finland. This news comes as interim manager Lee Carsley gets ready for his first games with England.
Notably, Phil Foden will miss England’s Nations League games after he failed to recover from an illness. The Manchester City player also missed recent Premier League matches due to a stomach issue. City’s coach, Pep Guardiola said, “Foden has a minor virus but should get better soon.” Cole Palmer and Ollie Watkins are also unavailable due to minor injuries. Both players, who played for Chelsea and Aston Villa respectively last weekend, will continue their rehabilitation at their respective clubs.
No further additions planned: English Football Association
Seeing the three players miss the upcoming fixtures, the English Football Association in its statement added, “there are no further additions are planned at the moment in time.” It is to be noted that the side will be managed by Lee Carsley, who took over as England’s interim manager after Gareth Southgate’s departure following the Euro 2024 final. Carsley, who previously led the England Under-21s, has named a 26-man squad for the upcoming games but will need to adjust his plans due to these absences.
With Foden, Palmer, and Watkins unavailable, Carsley has included several new players in his squad including Noni Madueke, Morgan Gibbs-White, Tino Livramento, and Angel Gomes. Jack Grealish and Harry Maguire are also part of the squad, while Jude Bellingham and Luke Shaw are missing due to their respective injuries.
England will travel to Dublin to play against the Republic of Ireland on Saturday, September 7, and three days later, they will host Finland at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday, September 10.
England’s squad for UEFA Nations league fixture vs Ireland and Finland
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Newcastle United)
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Levi Colwill (Chelsea), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Rico Lewis (Manchester City), Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City)
Midfielders: Phil Foden (Manchester City), Conor Gallagher (Atletico Madrid), Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest), Angel Gomes (Lille), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Declan Rice (Arsenal)
Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United), Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Noni Madueke (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)