Declan Rice and Cole Palmer lead the withdrawals from Thomas Tuchel’s first England squad since the World Cup, with Morgan Gibbs-White and James Garner receiving call-ups.
Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo and Tino Livramento have also pulled out of the squad for the Nations League games against world champions Spain, Czech Republic and Croatia due to injuries.
Vice-captain Rice, who featured in Arsenal’s 3-0 defeat at Brighton on Saturday, made 69 appearances for club and country last season through to the end of the World Cup and England are being careful with his load management.
Palmer, who was recalled by Tuchel last week after he was left out of England’s squad for the World Cup, is reportedly dealing with a small muscle injury, though he completed Chelsea’s 3-0 defeat to Brentford on Friday night.
The 24-year-old has featured in all five of Chelsea’s Premier League matches this term but struggled with injuries in a disrupted campaign last season, recently saying during a Twitch stream that he “had one leg for 10 months”.
Manchester United manager Michael Carrick confirmed Rashford picked up an “issue” during the 1-1 draw at Fulham on Sunday, with the forward substituted while appearing to be struggling with his hip – which was a persistent issue over the summer.
Midfielder Mainoo, who travelled to this summer’s World Cup but did not play a single minute of the tournament under Tuchel, was also substituted during the closing stages of the draw at Craven Cottage, while Livramento missed Newcastle’s win over Hull.
Gibbs-White, meanwhile, has received his first England call-up in almost a year. The Nottingham Forest captain, who has scored more Premier League goals this calendar year than any other player, missed out on England’s World Cup squad despite his outstanding form.
Gibbs-White has yet to start a match for England but won the last of his six caps in October last year when he featured as a second-half substitute in the 3-0 win over Wales.
The 26-year-old was also overlooked last week when Tuchel named his first squad since the World Cup but Palmer’s withdrawal has opened up a place in the No 10 position, with Phil Foden once again overlooked.
Everton midfielder Garner received his first England call-up in March, with Tuchel praising his versatility, but he missed out on the World Cup due to Mainoo’s strong end to the season.
England will play four matches over the newly expanded three-week international break, kicking off against World Cup winners Spain at Wembley on Saturday 26 September.
That is followed by trips to Czech Republic and Croatia, before concluding the set of Nations League games against the Czech Republic at Wembley on Tuesday 6 October.
Updated England squad
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, James Trafford, Jason Steele
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jarrad Branthwaite, Trevoh Chalobah, Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa, Jarell Quansah, Lewis Hall, Nico O’Reilly
Midfielders: Elliot Anderson, Jude Bellingham, James Garner, Morgan Gibbs-White, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Alex Scott
Forwards: Harry Kane, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Eberechi Eze, Anthony Gordon, Rio Ngumoha, Morgan Rogers, Bukayo Saka
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