England has officially announced that Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, and Ollie Watkins have all withdrawn from the national team for the upcoming Nations League fixtures in September.
The trio’s absence was confirmed early in the international break, with Foden’s withdrawal being anticipated due to his ongoing battle with illness.
Foden had already been a concern heading into the international window.
The Manchester City midfielder had missed his club’s last two matches, with manager Pep Guardiola suggesting that Foden was unlikely to be fit enough to join up with the national team.
In line with these concerns, Foden did not report for duty at St. George’s Park, and his omission from the squad was made official.
Palmer and Watkins, however, had initially joined the rest of the England squad but were assessed by the medical staff upon arrival.
After their evaluation, it was decided that both players would return to their respective clubs to continue their recovery from ongoing injury concerns.
A statement from the England camp explained: “The Three Lions squad reported to St. George’s Park on Tuesday but, following assessment, both Palmer and Watkins returned to their clubs to continue rehabilitation for ongoing issues.”
Fortunately for their clubs, Chelsea and Aston Villa, neither player is believed to have aggravated any existing injuries.
Palmer, who appeared to have picked up a hamstring issue during Chelsea’s UEFA Conference League defeat to Servette, still managed to complete the full 90 minutes in the subsequent Premier League match against Crystal Palace.
Chelsea confirmed that Palmer’s withdrawal from the England squad was merely precautionary, allowing him to rehabilitate from the ongoing problem without risking further injury.
Watkins, meanwhile, has seen limited minutes in Aston Villa’s early Premier League campaign.
The forward has been substituted around the 60-minute mark in each of Villa’s three games.
Manager Unai Emery has been cautious with his striker, who is still working his way back to full fitness following a busy summer representing England at Euro 2024.
Emery explained that Watkins had returned to training with Villa carrying a minor injury and required additional recovery time compared to some of his teammates.
“He was coming here with a small injury, he was not really 100% when he started training with us,” Emery said.
“He needed one week more resting time than other players after his comeback.”
While these absences might disrupt England’s plans for the upcoming fixtures against the Republic of Ireland and Finland in the Nations League, both players are expected to continue their recovery without further complications.
