England's World Cup qualifying campaign hit by player injuries: Details
What's the story
England's preparations for the upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers have been affected by the likely absence of three key players for the final two matches. Defender Marc Guehi, goalkeeper Nick Pope, and winger Anthony Gordon are all set to be sidelined due to injuries. While the news is unfortunate for the national team, it does not impact their qualification status, as England have already secured their place in next year's World Cup.
Injury details
Guehi suffered a foot injury during Crystal Palace's victory
Defender Guehi sustained a foot injury during Crystal Palace's recent Conference League victory. The injury was severe enough to leave him unable to walk, forcing him to miss the Premier League match against Brighton. Palace manager Oliver Glasner confirmed that it was "a heavy bone bruise" and said, "Fortunately nothing is broken, but at the moment he can't even walk."
Double blow
Pope suffered concussion, while Gordon missed the match with injury
Newcastle United's manager Eddie Howe has confirmed that goalkeeper Pope suffered a concussion during the team's 3-1 loss to Brentford. "Nick Pope suffered concussion and that's why we took him off," Howe said. He added, "As soon as we were made aware of that, he was withdrawn. He won't go with England." Winger Gordon also missed the match due to a hip injury and will not be joining the national squad either.
Match schedule
England to play Serbia and Albania in final 2 matches
Despite these injuries, England will continue with its World Cup qualifying campaign. The team is scheduled to play Serbia at Wembley on Thursday and Albania in Tirana next Sunday. With Guehi, Pope, and Gordon likely to miss out due to their respective injuries, the national team management will have to look for suitable replacements from the pool of available players.