Declan Rice, Cole Palmer Withdraw From England Nations League Squad

England will be missing some important players in the upcoming Nations League fixtures, with Tino Livramento, Kobbie Mainoo, Cole Palmer, Marcus Rashford and Declan Rice all withdrawing from the squad.

Thomas Tuchel has responded by adding two new names to the group. Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White and Everton’s James Garner have been called up and are due to report for duty on Tuesday.

Gibbs-White was already in contention for a place in the squad. Tuchel revealed on Friday that the 26-year-old had come close to making the original selection. He has represented England six times so far.

Palmer was also part of Tuchel’s initial plans after returning to the England setup. The 24-year-old had previously been left out of the World Cup squad, but his latest call-up has ended with him pulling out because of a minor injury.

Tuchel had earlier challenged Palmer to show what he could do, saying the Chelsea forward needed to raise his game to keep his place and prove he deserved the nomination.

England’s busy schedule in the Nations League will start with a meeting against World Cup winners Spain at Wembley on September 26. They will then head to the Czech Republic on September 29 and Croatia on October 3, before facing the Czech Republic again at home on October 6.

Rashford and Mainoo were both checked by Manchester United after they were substituted late in Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Fulham. Their withdrawals now mean they will not be available for the England fixtures.

Rice is also out after featuring for the full 90 minutes in Arsenal’s 3-0 loss to Brighton. Livramento will miss out as well, having made only three appearances from the bench for Newcastle United so far this season.

It should be noted that all five players have been allowed to remain with their clubs following discussions between England and the respective club medical teams. England have not provided any information about the injuries that have sidelined these players just before the start of the UEFA Nation League 2026/27.