England’s preparations for the start of their 2026/27 UEFA Nations League campaign have been disrupted by a wave of injuries, with five players withdrawing from Thomas Tuchel’s squad only days after it was announced.
Cole Palmer, Declan Rice, Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo and Tino Livramento have all pulled out of the extended September-October international window. They join several other established England players who were already unavailable when Tuchel selected his original squad, leaving the manager with a significantly changed group for four Nations League matches in the space of 11 days.
Here is the latest England injury list, what is known about each absence and who has been called up as a replacement.
Which England players have withdrawn through injury?
The Football Association confirmed on September 21 that Cole Palmer, Declan Rice, Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo and Tino Livramento had withdrawn from the squad because of injury issues.
All five had been included when Tuchel announced his original 27-man squad on September 18. Their withdrawals came before England’s opening Nations League match against Spain at Wembley on September 26.
The five players to withdraw are:
- Cole Palmer — muscle injury
- Declan Rice — injury concerns
- Marcus Rashford — injury
- Kobbie Mainoo — injury
- Tino Livramento — injury setback
The FA has officially described the withdrawals as being due to the players’ respective injury issues rather than providing detailed diagnoses for every player.
What happened to Cole Palmer?
Palmer’s withdrawal is particularly frustrating for both England and the Chelsea midfielder because the international window was supposed to mark his return to Tuchel’s squad.
The 24-year-old missed out on England’s squad for the 2026 World Cup but responded strongly at club level. He had scored four goals and provided two assists in seven appearances for Chelsea before receiving his recall for the Nations League.
Palmer played the full 90 minutes in Chelsea’s defeat to Brentford immediately before the international break but subsequently withdrew with a muscle problem. The injury has been described as minor, although it is enough to rule him out of England’s September-October fixtures.
His absence removes one of Tuchel’s most creative options just as Palmer appeared to be forcing his way back into the manager’s plans.
Why is Declan Rice out for England?
Rice was another automatic-looking selection in Tuchel’s original squad but will not take part in the Nations League window.
The Arsenal midfielder has been dealing with injury concerns and was included among the five withdrawals confirmed by the FA on September 21. Reports have pointed to hamstring and back issues, although England have not published a detailed diagnosis.
Rice’s absence is significant because of the role he has played in England’s midfield over recent years. With four competitive matches packed into an extended international camp, Tuchel would almost certainly have expected to rely heavily on him.
It also creates an opportunity for other midfielders in the squad, with Jude Bellingham, Elliot Anderson, Alex Scott, Myles Lewis-Skelly and the newly recalled James Garner and Morgan Gibbs-White among the available options.
What injuries do Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo have?
Manchester United pair Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo have also withdrawn. Both players encountered problems during United’s recent match against Fulham and will not join England for the Nations League fixtures. The FA has confirmed that both withdrawals are injury-related but has not specified the exact nature or expected recovery time for either player.
Rashford’s return to the England squad was particularly notable after he was left out of Tuchel’s World Cup plans earlier this summer, an omission FootyRoom examined ahead of the tournament.
For Mainoo, the setback removes an opportunity to strengthen his position in Tuchel’s midfield after he travelled to the World Cup but did not play. Rashford’s absence, meanwhile, reduces England’s attacking options for a window that begins with one of their most demanding fixtures of the season against Spain.
Why is Tino Livramento out?
Livramento completes the group of five players who were selected and then forced to withdraw.
The Newcastle defender had been working his way back following a calf problem and surgery that affected his availability before the World Cup. He has now suffered another setback and will miss the entire England camp.
His withdrawal also changes the competition in England’s full-back positions. Trent Alexander-Arnold had returned to the squad for the first time since June 2025, while Lewis Hall and Nico O’Reilly are among Tuchel’s other defensive options.
Who replaced the injured England players?
England have not called up five direct replacements despite losing five players. Instead, James Garner and Morgan Gibbs-White have been added to Tuchel’s squad.
Garner returns after winning his first two senior England caps in March 2026. The Everton midfielder had not been included in the original squad but now provides Tuchel with another central midfield option following Rice and Mainoo’s withdrawals.
Gibbs-White was also omitted from the initial selection despite having previously featured under Tuchel. The Nottingham Forest midfielder has six senior England appearances and gives the manager an additional attacking and creative option following Palmer’s withdrawal.
Both players were due to report to St George’s Park with the rest of the squad on September 22.
Which England players were already missing through injury?
The five late withdrawals are only part of England’s injury situation. Tuchel was already without several players when he announced his original squad.
Reece James, John Stones, Djed Spence, Dan Burn, Ben White and goalkeeper Dean Henderson were among the players unavailable because of injury. Their absence meant England entered the international window with a depleted defensive group even before Livramento withdrew.
That distinction is important. Palmer, Rice, Rashford, Mainoo and Livramento were originally selected and subsequently pulled out, while the other injured players were not included in the squad announced on September 18.
Not every notable omission is injury-related either. Phil Foden was left out of the squad, while Ollie Watkins, Ivan Toney and Noni Madueke were among the players who had been at the World Cup but were not selected for this Nations League window.
England squad after the injury withdrawals
Despite losing five players, Tuchel still has a large group available for the four matches. Jordan Pickford remains the senior goalkeeper, while Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jarrad Branthwaite are among the defensive options.
The midfield still contains Bellingham alongside Anderson, Scott, Lewis-Skelly, Garner and Gibbs-White. Bukayo Saka, Harry Kane, Anthony Gordon, Eberechi Eze, Morgan Rogers, Rio Ngumoha and Dominic Calvert-Lewin provide the attacking options.
The withdrawals nevertheless leave England with fewer players than Tuchel initially intended to take into an unusually demanding international window. Instead of the traditional separate September and October breaks, the 2026 calendar features one extended period in which England will play four competitive matches.
When are England’s Nations League matches?
England begin their 2026/27 Nations League campaign against world champions Spain at Wembley before travelling for consecutive away fixtures against Czechia and Croatia. They then return to London to face Czechia again.
England’s four fixtures are:
- September 26: England vs Spain — UEFA Nations League
- September 29: Czechia vs England — UEFA Nations League
- October 3: Croatia vs England — UEFA Nations League
- October 6: England vs Czechia — UEFA Nations League
The Spain match will be England’s first competitive appearance since finishing third at the 2026 World Cup, where Harry Kane scored six goals during England’s run to the semi-finals. It provides an immediate test for Tuchel’s reshaped squad.
Could more players be called up?
England have so far responded to five withdrawals by adding only Garner and Gibbs-White, meaning Tuchel has chosen not to replace every unavailable player directly.
That could still change if further fitness problems emerge during the camp. Four matches in 11 days will require significant squad rotation, particularly after players arrived from a busy opening period of the domestic season.
For now, however, England will begin preparations with the revised group. Palmer, Rice, Rashford, Mainoo and Livramento are officially out, while Garner and Gibbs-White have been brought in as cover.
The injury situation will be worth monitoring throughout the international window, especially with England facing Spain, Czechia and Croatia in quick succession. Any further withdrawals would leave Tuchel with another decision over whether to call for reinforcements or work with the players already at St George’s Park.
Published by Patrick Jane
22.09.2026