Jude Bellingham and Levi Colwill injuries add to England absences

Bellingham and Colwill have not been replaced in the England squad, leaving Gareth Southgate with 23 players for the games against Malta and North Macedonia

Jude Bellingham and Levi Colwill will play no part in England’s upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia, becoming the latest pair to withdraw from Gareth Southgate’s squad.

Real Madrid midfielder Bellingham and Chelsea defender Colwill were both ruled out of action over the weekend due to shoulder injuries and have returned to their clubs for further assessment.

It comes after James Maddison, Callum Wilson and Lewis Dunk withdrew from England duty due to injuries on Monday, with the trio replaced by Cole Palmer, Rico Lewis and Ezri Konsa.

This time Southgate has not called up any new faces, leaving the England manager with a 23-player squad for the matches against Malta at Wembley on Friday and the trip to North Macedonia on Monday.

In a further update, both Marcus Rashford and Kalvin Phillips will meet up with the England squad later this week. An England statement said this was due to “personal matters”.

England are already assured of their place at next summer’s Euro 2024 finals in Germany after last month’s win over Italy secured qualification.

However Southgate will be targeting victories in both games to make sure England are one of the top seeds when the Euro 2024 is made in Germany next month.

Updated England squad for Malta and North Macedonia fixtures

Goalkeepers: Sam Johnstone (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal)

Defenders: Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Fikayi Tomori (AC Milan), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle), Kyle Walker (Manchester City), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa)

Midfielders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Jordan Henderson (Al-Ettifaq), Kalvin Phillips (Manchester City), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Rico Lewis (Manchester City)

Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)