England confirm withdrawal of three stars ahead of Nations League fixtures

England have confirmed that Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Ollie Watkins have all withdrawn from the squad for the September international break.

Foden was a known doubt heading into the Nations League fixtures, having sat out Manchester City’s last two games. Pep Guardiola admitted he was unlikely to feature for England.

The midfielder did not even report for duty because of his illness and has now been formally removed from the squad alongside both Palmer and Watkins.

“The Three Lions squad reported to St. George’s Park on Tuesday but, following assessment, both Palmer and Watkins returned to their clubs to continue rehabilitation for ongoing issues,” a short statement read.

Importantly for both Chelsea and Aston Villa, neither Palmer nor Watkins is believed to have suffered any further injury issues.

Palmer appeared to injure his hamstring during the Conference League defeat to Servette but did complete 90 minutes against Crystal Palace three days later. Chelsea confirmed his withdrawal was “to continue rehabilitation for ongoing issues”.

As for Watkins, the striker has been withdrawn on the hour mark in each of Villa’s three Premier League games, with manager Unai Emery insisting he is simply lacking fitness after a long summer with England at Euro 2024.

“He was coming here with a small injury, he was not really 100% when he started training with us,” Emery said recently. “He needed one week more resting time than other players after his comeback.”