November 19, (THEWILL) – The England national team have been dealt another injury blow ahead of their final Euro 2024 qualifier against North Macedonia on Monday. Manager Gareth Southgate, confirmed in his pre-match press conference that West Ham United, forward Jarrod Bowen has withdrawn from the squad due to injury.
Bowen had been experiencing discomfort during training over the weekend. After further assessment by the England medical staff, it was decided to allow the player to return to his club for treatment and recovery. While the injury is not believed to be serious, there was not enough time to fully evaluate it before Monday’s match.
The 25-year-old has been in excellent form for West Ham this season, scoring nine goals in 16 matches across all competitions. He earned his first England call-up in March and now has five senior caps. Bowen, was unlikely to start against North Macedonia, but his absence further limits Southgate’s attacking options from the bench.
Arsenal winger, Bukayo Saka, is the frontrunner to start on the right wing in Bowen’s absence. England have already secured qualification for Euro 2024 as winners of Group C. The match in Skopje represents their final game before next summer’s tournament in Germany.
With Bowen’s withdrawal, England are now without two players for the North Macedonia encounter. Earlier on Sunday, Newcastle right-back Kieran Trippier also pulled out of the squad to attend to a personal matter. England will be aiming to end 2023 undefeated, having won eight of their nine matches this year.
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
