England face injury crisis as EIGHT players pull out of Lee Carsley's squad
England face Greece away from home on Thursday before welcoming the Republic of Ireland to Wembley in a bid to win their Nations League group in Lee Carsley's farewell fixtures
Lee Carsley has been forced into a major reshuffle after EIGHT players pulled out of England's squad ahead of their Nations League doubler-header this week.
The Three Lions travel to Athens to face Greece on Thursday in what's likely a must-win game for their hopes of topping the group. Then it's a clash with the Republic of Ireland at Wembley on Sunday, marking Carsley's final game as interim manager before Thomas Tuchel takes charges from January 1.
But he'll wave goodbye without the help of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Levi Colwill, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Cole Palmer, Aaron Ramsdale, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, who've all withdrawn from the squad. Replacing them are Morgan Rogers, Jarrod Bowen, Jarrad Branthwaite, Tino Livramento and James Trafford.
Carsley was already made unsure of how many big-name stars he'd be able to welcome to St George's Park after Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola made it clear that he wasn't happy with Grealish getting a call-up. Speaking before City's 2-1 defeat at Brighton, Guardiola said: "National teams always play in this period and I'm always pleased for players to go - when they are fit and they haven't struggled for the past one, two, three or four weeks.
"In 17 days he didn’t train once. Today was the first training and he trained for 20 minutes. That is the reality. Yes, he was in the gym for a few minutes for the past two days but it's a question for the manager from the UK (England) - I'm not involved."
Guardiola noted that Grealish had informed him that he wanted to be considered for selection, but wasn't aware of any conversation between the FA and City's medical department. "They can select who they want," the City managed added. "Jack has had two or three setbacks in terms of injuries and could not get his rhythm."
Get involved! How should England line up against Greece? Tell us your XI in the comments section.
Saka and Rice's injuries came as Arsenal drew 1-1 with Chelsea. Post-match, Mikel Arteta told Sky Sports : "They don't look very good. I don't know [if their injuries are long-term]. They both couldn't finish the game, so not good."
Mirror Football understands that club managers have put major pressure - both publicly and privately - on players to withdraw from international squads. This is because of the sheer volume of games and increased fixture congestion this season.
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