England set for triple injury blow with Newcastle pair likely to follow Marc Guehi in withdrawing from Thomas Tuchel's squad for Serbia & Albania clashes
England are expected to be handed a triple injury blow ahead of 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Serbia and Albania. Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi is likely to miss out after seeing a blow to his foot leave him on crutches, while Newcastle duo Anthony Gordon and Nick Pope are also poised to be ruled out of Thomas Tuchelâs plans with the Three Lions.
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TogglePalace defender Guehi nursing bruised bone
Tuchel named his squad on Friday, with there already fears at that point regarding Guehiâs potential involvement. He figured for Palace the previous day in their Conference League clash with AZ Alkmaar.
The defender suffered bruising to the bone of his foot during that fixture and was unable to line up for the Eagles in their Premier League date with arch-rivals Brighton. With no risks being taken on his fitness, official withdrawal from the England camp is likely to be confirmed shortly.
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Medical tests revealed extend of Guehi's injury
Palace boss Oliver Glasner told reporters when delivering a fitness update on Guehi heading into the meeting with Brighton at Selhurst Park: âHe can't even walk at the moment so the last two days he was on crutches. That's why he can't play. I don't know how this develops over the next couple of days. At the moment, it looks like he can't play for England as well.â
BBC Sport claims that Guehi underwent scans on Friday to assess the full extent of his injury. Significant bruising was identified at that stage, much to the 25-year-oldâs frustration. He will now be denied the opportunity to add to his collection of 26 senior international caps.
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Why Gordon & Pope are set to miss out with England
It appears as though Gordon and Pope will face a similar fate. The former did not travel with the Newcastle squad for their 3-1 defeat at Brentford, while the latter was replaced 77 minutes into that contest after a heavy fall when coming to collect a high ball.
Magpies boss Eddie Howe confirmed that a hip problem would be keeping Gordon out of England duty, while Pope requires a period of rest after suffering concussion. Howe said: âNick Pope suffered a concussion and thatâs why we took him off. As soon as we were made aware of that, he was withdrawn. Initially, I wasnât told anything in the sense that he was concussed and then a message came that he wasnât feeling too well and he had to come off. He wonât go with England. Itâs 12 days (recovery), I think. Anthony has a minor injury, so heâll miss England.â
Evertonâs Jordan Pickford and Palace keeper Dean Henderson are the other shot-stopping selections at Tuchelâs disposal. It remains to be seen whether cover will be drafted in for Pope, with three options always favourable.
England remain well stocked in the forward department, despite losing Gordon, with Eberechi Eze, Jarrod Bowen, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford able to fill berths on the flanks. Gordon was, however, another option to cover for captain Harry Kane down the middle as Tuchel has only selected one out-and-out central striker, as the likes of Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney have been overlooked.
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Will Tuchel bring in cover for late withdrawals?
With Guehi absent, former Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah – who is now in Germany with Bayern Leverkusen – could move up the pecking order as he waits on his senior bow. Dan Burn, Ezri Konsa and John Stones are the other options to line up at centre-half. Tuchel must again decide whether he wants to make late additions to his ranks.
The Three Lions are in a position where they can experiment, with qualification for the 2026 World Cup having already been secured. They have been faultless through the group stage, picking up maximum points from six games while being yet to concede a goal. They are now looking to maintain momentum.
Serbia will be welcomed to Wembley Stadium on Thursday, before England then travel to Albania three days later to wrap up their campaign. Tuchel has selected three uncapped players, with Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott and Manchester City full-back Nico OâReilly falling into that category alongside Quansah.
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