Cole Palmer and Tino Livramento set to withdraw from England squad

Cole Palmer will withdraw from the England squad with a minor muscle injury while there is a doubt over whether Marcus Rashford will be able to be involved. The Manchester United winger held the area by the front of his hip and groin as he walked off slowly after his substitution at Fulham on Sunday.

Palmer was given a high-profile recall by Thomas Tuchel on Friday for the forthcoming Nations League fixtures, when the manager and his players will take their first steps on the new two-year cycle that they hope will end in glory at Euro 2028. England are back in Nations League Group A and kick off against Spain at Wembley on Saturday. They then play Czechia and Croatia away before returning to Wembley to face Czechia.

Tuchel omitted Palmer from his World Cup squad after the Chelsea midfielder’s form ebbed last season. The manager preferred Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze as the No 10s. He has retained the trio for this elongated international window and added Palmer after his fine form since the beginning of the season. The 24-year-old has contributed four goals and two assists for Chelsea and been a virtual ever-present for them. Yet he is once again expected to miss out with England. Palmer has made only three appearances under Tuchel; he has been frequently undermined by injury.

Tuchel has always championed Rashford; he called him up when he named his first squad in March of last year and the player was struggling for form. Tuchel wanted to show the 28-year-old that he believed in him and he has always included him when he has been available. Tuchel seemed to lose a bit of faith after Rashford played poorly against the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the last 32 of the World Cup this summer. Thereafter, Tuchel barely used him until England’s semi-final exit against Argentina, giving him a couple of minutes as a stoppage-time substitute in that game but nothing more. He did play him for the first 45 minutes of the third place playoff against France.

Kobbie Mainoo, Rashford’s United teammate, is also a doubt for the upcoming England fixtures while the Newcastle full-back Tino Livramento is expected to withdraw. Livramento was forced to pull out of the World Cup squad with a calf injury and he only returned for his club as a substitute against Bournemouth at the start of the month. He suffered a set-back in training before Newcastle’s win over Hull on Saturday and was not in the match-day squad. Livramento is yet to start a game this season.

Mainoo was in the World Cup squad but he was the only outfield player not to get a single minute on the pitch. Tuchel said last Friday that it was entirely on him; it was no slight on Mainoo’s ability or levels of application. The manager said he would certainly give Mainoo minutes in at least one of the upcoming games.