September 05, (THEWILL) – England have been dealt a double injury blow after Jack Grealish and Trent Alexander-Arnold were ruled out of the upcoming international fixtures.
The pair were originally named in Gareth Southgate’s squad for the Euro 2024 qualifiers against Ukraine and Scotland, but have had to withdraw due to fitness concerns. THEWILL recalls that Grealish missed Manchester City’s 5-1 win over Fulham on Saturday, with a thigh complaint, while Alexander-Arnold was forced off after 71 minutes during Liverpool’s 3-0 victory against Aston Villa.
The Liverpool right-back is now expected to be sidelined for around two weeks, making him a major doubt for the Reds’ next EPL match against Wolverhampton Wanderers. An England statement confirmed that Grealish and Alexander-Arnold had reported to St George’s Park on Monday, but medical checks led to their withdrawal from the squad.
In Grealish’s absence, the likes of Phil Foden, James Maddison and Eberechi Eze will be pushing to start behind the forward line of Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka. Alexander-Arnold’s injury could open the door for Reece James or Kyle Walker to start at right-back. Kieran Trippier is expected to join up with the group later on Wednesday, following a personal commitment.
England’s attention, however, will now turn to Saturday’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Ukraine in Poland, before they travel to Hampden Park to face Scotland in a special 150th anniversary fixture next week. Levi Colwill and Eddie Nketiah are hoping to earn their first caps during the camp.
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.
