Lee Carsley’s plans for England’s crucial Nations League fixtures have been severely disrupted by eight withdrawals from his squad, including Manchester City duo Phil Foden and Jack Grealish.
Serving as interim manager for the final time before Thomas Tuchel takes over in the new year, Carsley has responded by calling up Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers.
Jarrad Branthwaite, Jarrod Bowen, Tino Livramento, and James Trafford have been added to the squad, with both Livramento and Trafford set to earn their first caps.
The absences have made headlines, with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka among the injury-hit players.
Alexander-Arnold sustained a hamstring injury during Liverpool’s win over Aston Villa, while Rice played Arsenal’s draw against Chelsea with a broken toe before being substituted.
Saka also exited that game early after a heavy tackle from Marc Cucurella.
Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, who is nursing a knee problem, and Levi Colwill have both withdrawn, as has Aaron Ramsdale, who had only recently earned a recall to the squad.
Despite playing the full 90 minutes in Manchester City’s loss to Brighton & Hove Albion, Foden was ruled out with a reported issue.
Grealish, sidelined since October with a groin injury, had his inclusion in the squad questioned by manager Pep Guardiola.
John Stones was unavailable due to injury, while Manuel Akanji, Matheus Nunes, and Jeremy Doku also withdrew from international duty for Switzerland, Portugal, and Belgium, respectively.
However, Carsley still has Kyle Walker and Rico Lewis from Man City in his squad.
The interim manager’s challenges go beyond City, with Manchester United’s Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Kobbie Mainoo all sidelined due to injury.
England take on Greece in Athens on Thursday, needing a win to maintain their hopes of automatic promotion to Nations League A, before facing Ireland at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.
If the Three Lions finish second in the group, they will face a two-legged promotion play-off in March against one of the third-placed teams from League A, with Poland, Belgium, Hungary and Serbia currently occupying those positions.
Carsley’s reshaped squad must now deliver in what could be a decisive week for England’s Nations League campaign.
