England squad LIVE: Cole Palmer and Declan Rice injury doubts for Lee Carsley’s final announcement
England face Greece and the Republic of Ireland later this month before Thomas Tuchel takes over the reins in January
Lee Carsley names his final England squad before handing over to Thomas Tuchel, with Cole Palmer and Declan Rice injury doubts ahead of the Nations League double-header against Greece and Republic of Ireland.
Tuchel, who was appointed as Gareth Southgate’s permanent successor last month, does not take charge until January 1 with Carsley continuing as interim manager. England are hoping to beat Greece in Athens and Ireland at Wembley to avoid having to go through the Nations League play-offs next March.
Carsley, though, has a number of injury doubts to contend with. Palmer is a doubt for Chelsea’s clash against Arsenal on Sunday, as is Rice after the Gunners midfielder missed the Champions League trip to Inter Milan on Wednesday night.
It could open the door to a couple of new faces, with uncapped Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones and Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers pushing for call-ups. Follow all the updates as England name their latest squad at 2pm.
What Lee Carsley said about Morgan Rogers last month
Lee Carsley admitted it was a “challenge” to name last England squad but revealed Morgan Rogers was close to a senior call-up.
“There’s a lot of players that were close to being in this squad with the talent we have available,” the interim manager said. “The challenge is, it would have been quite easy to name a 40-man squad and almost justify having them all in. The challenge is making sure we pick a competitive squad and a squad where we can win the two games.
“The players who have been left out, it’s just a case of me having a look at other players. It’s nothing to do with form, it’s a case of using this period to experiment a little bit. The players who have been left out all have a case to be in the squad but I thought we saw the benefit of the last squad being fresh and feeling fresh.
“It’s not that [those] players didn’t bring that but I thought it was important it wasn’t a copy and paste and that they had earned their place in the squad. I’ve spoken to all the players that aren’t involved and have had good conversations with them. I’ve made it clear to all of them that it’s a short-term decision from myself.”
Morgan Rogers hoping to take next step in breakthrough season
Morgan Rogers has continued his impressive breakout season since narrowly missing out on selection to the England senior squad last month.
The 22-year-old scored a further two goals for Aston Villa in the Premeir League and starred in another Champions League win for his side, in the 2-0 victory over Bologna.
He has had to settle for a place in England’s Under-21s squad so far this season - a decision his club manager Unai Emery called a “surprise”.
Curtis Jones hoping for first cap after Liverpool form
Curtis Jones was called up to England’s squad mid-camp as an injury replacement last month, only to then withdraw when his partner gave birth to their first son.
Jones has been in great form for Liverpool and starred for the league leaders in their 2-1 win over Chelsea at Anfield last month, scoring the winner.
The 23-year-old looks to have settled into Arne Slot’s first-choice line-up and also looked impressive in the 4-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen in midweek.
Any chance of a recall?
Jarrod Bowen?
The forward was not selected last month but scored his fourth Premier League goal of the season from the spot in the 2-1 win over Manchester United. West Ham’s struggles are not helping his case.
Marcus Rashford?
The 27-year-old has not been picked for England since March and missed out on the Euros squad. Likely needs an upturn in form under Ruben Amorim after Erik ten Hag was sacked.
James Maddison?
The Tottenham midfielder has not returned to the squad adter missing out on the Euros. He looks to have lost his place in Ange Postecoglou’s line-up, too, with Dejan Kulusevski shining in midfield.
Morgan Gibbs-White?
One of Carsley’s picks in September, only to be forced out due to injury in October. The 24-year-old is enjoying life at a Nottingham Forest side flying high in third in the Premier League.
What’s at stake for England in Nations League?
After defeat to Greece at Wembley last month, England know that another loss to the Greeks in Athens would see them unable to be promoted automatically from League B.
Greece have picked up a maximum of 12 points in their first four matches of the Nations League, which is three ahead of England’s nine.
Lee Carsley’s side will likely have to beat Greece away and Ireland at Wembley, while hoping the Greeks slip up in their final match away to Finland.
It could also come down to goal difference. Ahead of the final two matches, Greece have a goal difference of +8, three ahead of England’s +5.
If England do not top their group, Thomas Tuchel’s first games in charge will be promotion play-off matches in March.
England’s fixtures ahead of Nations League double header
Thursday 14 November:
vs Greece, Athens, 7:45pm
Sunday 17 November:
vs Republic of Ireland, Wembley, 5:00pm
Declan Rice also a doubt for England’s matches
Declan Rice missed Arsenal’s defeat to Inter Milan last night and Mikel Arteta said he will be assessed ahead of the trip to Stamford Bridge.
He picked up a foot injury in the defeat to Newcastle last weekend and did not travel as a precaution ahead of the Chelsea game on Sunday.
“It is a knock, a problem on his foot, and he wasn’t comfortable to put his boots on so at the moment he is not fit,” Arteta said.
“He wasn’t feeling good the last few days. We’ll have to assess him on Thursday and see if he’s ready for Chelsea.”
Cole Palmer an injury doubt for Chelsea
Cole Palmer is a doubt for Chelsea’s clash against Arsenal on Sunday, following a heavy challenge from Manchester United’s Lisandro Martinez.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca felt the defender should have been sent off for a stoppage-time tackle and Palmer is touch and go for their match against Arsenal.
Asked whether there was a chance Palmer could miss the game, the Blues boss said: “Yeah, for sure.
“He didn’t train the last two days. The tackle it’s quite clear was not a normal one. But hopefully he can be back.”
England’s injury list
Cole Palmer - doubt, knock
Declan Rice - doubt, knock
Jack Grealish - out, training injury
John Stones - doubt, foot injury
Kobbie Mainoo - out, muscle injury
Harry Maguire - out, foot injury
Luke Shaw - out, calf injury
Adam Wharton - out, groin injury
Eberechi Eze - out, hamstring injury
When does Thomas Tuchel take charge?
Thomas Tuchel has signed an 18-month contract through to the 2026 World Cup, which means he does not start until January 1 and will miss England’s matches this month.
“Let’s see, it’s 18 months, then we agreed to sit together,” said Tuchel when explaining his contract with England. “I have good experience with 18 months [laughs]. I’m working on my long-term game also.
“In this particular case it was important for me to have a frame around it as it’s a bit of a step into the dark for me as I’m used to working every day [with players].
“The last piece of it from me to understand that this is something that can really excite me to the fullest was the timeframe of 18-months but to demand from myself to not lose the focus. It’s a good timeframe because it will help us focus. It is very streamlined.”
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