Five England players withdraw from Nations League squad as Cole Palmer and Declan Rice sidelined

Five withdrawals alter Tuchel's selection

The English Football Association announced five player withdrawals on Monday ahead of the upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures. Chelsea forward Cole Palmer, Declan Rice, Manchester United pair Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo, and Newcastle United full-back Tino Livramento were all ruled out through injury. In response, manager Thomas Tuchel added Nottingham Forest captain Morgan Gibbs-White and James Garner to the squad, with both scheduled to report to camp on Tuesday. The changes affect Tuchel's first squad announcement since England's World Cup semi-final exit against Argentina and third-place playoff against France. Livramento had previously missed the World Cup with a calf injury, returned against Bournemouth earlier in September, and suffered another setback in training.

Palmer sidelined despite strong club form

Palmer withdrew due to a minor muscle injury and load management, despite completing the full 90 minutes of Chelsea's 3-0 defeat at Brentford on Friday night. The 24-year-old forward had earned a recall after being left out of Tuchel's World Cup squad, where the manager preferred Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers, and Eberechi Eze in attacking midfield roles. Palmer has scored four goals and provided two assists in seven Chelsea appearances this season under manager Xabi Alonso, after a 2025–2026 campaign hampered by recurring groin issues. Palmer previously noted during a streaming broadcast that he had one leg for 10 months. Alonso commented on Palmer's physical management at the start of the season.

I think that sometimes you need to go through a difficult moment with an injury or whatever to learn from that. I think that Cole has gone through a difficult period with the injury, and now he's working really hard to have the prevention not to have to feel those symptoms.

United pair sustain injuries at Fulham

Rashford and Mainoo both suffered setbacks during Manchester United's 1-1 draw against Fulham at Craven Cottage on Sunday. Rashford was substituted in the 77th minute while holding his hip and groin area, an issue that required ongoing medical handling over the summer. Tuchel had previously selected Rashford across his tenure, using him against the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the World Cup round of 32 before limiting his subsequent tournament minutes. Mainoo, who was an unused squad member during the World Cup, played 80 minutes at Fulham before being withdrawn. United manager Michael Carrick described the substitution after the match.

We had to bring him off as he had a bit of an issue.

Gibbs-White recalled for four Nations League ties

The departures opened space for Gibbs-White, who received his first England call-up in nearly a year. The 26-year-old midfielder has scored more Premier League goals in 2026 than any other player, but he missed World Cup selection and last earned a cap as a substitute during a 3-0 victory against Wales in October of last year. England faces four matches in an extended three-week international window, which combined the traditional September and October breaks under FIFA's revised international calendar. The team begins against world champions Spain at Wembley Stadium before travelling to the Fortuna Arena in Prague and Stadion HNK Rijeka in Croatia, concluding with a home fixture against the Czech Republic.