Nine Players Withdraw from Final England Squad before Tuchel Takeover

Ahead of the final international break of 2024, nine players have withdrawn from the England squad due to injury. Chelsea’s Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill, Manchester City’s Phil Foden and Jack Grealish, Arsenal’s Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Southampton’s Aaron Ramsdale have all pulled out ahead of matches against Greece and the Republic of Ireland in the Nations League.

The withdrawals have seen an influx of uncapped players receiving their first senior call up. Fullback Tino Livramento from Newcastle, Burnley’s goalkeeper James Trafford and Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers have all been added to the squad. Additionally, Jarrod Bowen of West Ham and Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite were recalled to join the team, although Branthwaite also left the camp due to injury, replaced by Liverpool’s uncapped Jarell Quansah.

Lee Carsley’s final England squad decisions have drawn criticism

Lee Carsley’s final England squad decisions have drawn criticism, especially from Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, who questioned the inclusion of Jack Grealish. Last Friday, Guardiola stated that “In 17 days he didn’t train once. Today was the first training and he trained for 20 minutes.” Carsley justified the selection by asserting that Grealish had been training “for a couple of days.”

Southampton defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Newcastle full-back Lewis Hall, in addition to Livramento, Trafford, and Rogers, have been promoted to the senior team for the first time. Following confirmation that Lee Carsley will return to his position as Under-21s coach after the international break, it’s unsurprising that many of his picks previously played for him at U21 level. Eight of the players chosen were part of the winning team of the Under-21 Euros in Georgia in 2023.

Morgan Rogers’ promotion has been widely anticipated. After his move to Aston Villa from Middlesborough last January, he has become a standout player for the club, scoring 3 goals and providing 2 assists so far this season. His prolonged U21 status has been a source of frustration for Unai Emery, who has previously commented: “What does he gain by playing in the under-21s? He is ready… if they are calling him in the national team, the first team, OK, perfect. If not, why?”

Captain Harry Kane has expressed his disappointment

The frequent international breaks have been cited as a concern for player’s well-being, amid discussions about the busy winter schedule. Captain Harry Kane has expressed his disappointment in the amount of withdrawals from the November camp, saying to ITV Sport that “England comes before anything. England comes before club.” He went on to say that while this period is a tough point of the season, he feels that “maybe that’s been taken advantage of a little bit.” However, Lee Carsley has dismissed the suggestion that there are club-versus-country tensions, and emphasised that injuries this time of year are common across teams.

After this international break, Thomas Tuchel will replace Carsley as England’s permanent manager. England are currently in Group B2 of the Nations League, and will need to beat Greece and the Republic of Ireland to win automatic promotion to tier A. They can still be promoted if they finish second in their group, which also includes Finland, and progress through a play-off.