Thomas Tuchel, who manages England, has five players left the squad and two new faces to consider ahead of the Three Lions’ Nations League match against Spain at Wembley on Saturday, 26 September. Tino Livramento, Kobbie Mainoo, Cole Palmer, Marcus Rashford and Declan Rice have all been left out of the squad. Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White and Everton’s James Garner have taken their places instead.
Tuchel confirmed the injuries ahead of Friday, saying that 26-year-old Gibbs-White was close to inclusion in the initial group. A combined decision by the England medical team and all club counterparts has been reached, allowing the five players to leave. The condition of each injury has not been described publicly.
Palmer’s Withdrawal
Cole Palmer, 24, had been recalled by Tuchel after being controversially left out of England’s World Cup squad. He has withdrawn with a minor injury. Palmer played the full game for Chelsea in their 3-0 defeat at Brentford on Friday.
He had started six of Chelsea’s seven games and played the full 90 minutes in five of them, scoring four goals and providing two assists. Tuchel previously said Palmer had a “point to prove” and needed “to step up” to “keep his shirt and justify the nomination.”
Palmer’s exit follows his final appearance for England, a 1-0 friendly defeat by Japan in March. Chelsea had to manage a groin injury that flared up during 2025-26, which affected Palmer’s performance at the time.
Rashford, Mainoo and the Midweek Draw
Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Fulham saw Manchester United take Rashford and Mainoo off the field after they were assessed by their club as the game approached its final minutes.
Arsenal’s Rice, who played the full game in their 3-0 defeat by Brighton, will not be available to Tuchel. Livramento has made only three substitute appearances for Newcastle United this season.
The Call-Ups at a Glance
Tuchel has brought in two players who were not part of the original group. Gibbs-White has six caps at the international level. Garner has two, both from March.
| Player | Club | Caps | Last England Appearance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morgan Gibbs-White | Nottingham Forest | 6 | 3-0 win against Wales, October 2025 |
| James Garner | Everton | 2 | Both in March |
Forest’s five league games this season have produced one goal and two assists from Gibbs-White. Garner, like Gibbs-White, arrives after missing out on the 2026 World Cup, having made both of his two senior England appearances in March.
Rice’s Season So Far
He played 69 fixtures for Arsenal and England last season, though he did much of it carrying a hamstring injury that affected him at the World Cup. Despite that, he has still turned out for 549 minutes of the 630 possible for Arsenal this term.
Livramento’s Injury History
Newcastle left-back Livramento watched their first two league games from the bench, only showing up as a substitute for the final minute of the draw with Bournemouth. In the League Cup win at Millwall, he appeared for the second half before playing 32 minutes in the loss at Leeds. He then had to drop out of Saturday’s game against Hull with a knee injury.
Rashford and Mainoo’s United Record
Rashford and Mainoo have each started four of Manchester United’s five Premier League games this season. Both were taken off in the closing stages of Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Fulham, with their club assessing their fitness.
The Match Schedule
Saturday sees Spain, the World Cup winners, arrive at Wembley, and the match falls on 26 September. England then head to the Czech Republic on 29 September and Croatia on 3 October, before welcoming the Czechs to Wembley again on 6 October, during an extended international break.
What Tuchel Has Lost
The five withdrawals reduce Tuchel’s squad by five players for the fixtures ahead.
- Palmer, who had been recalled after his World Cup exclusion, is out with a minor injury.
- Rice, who played every minute of Arsenal’s 3-0 defeat at Brighton, is also unavailable.
- Livramento, limited to three substitute appearances at Newcastle this season, is out.
- Mainoo and Rashford were both taken off in Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Fulham and have been assessed by their club.
- The nature of the injuries has not been disclosed to the media.
“to ‘keep his shirt and justify the nomination'”
The Injuries and the Withdrawals
England’s medical staff and the doctors at each of the clubs have reached an agreement about the five players who can leave. No details about the injuries have been given to the press. Palmer’s minor injury came after he played the full game for Chelsea in their 3-0 defeat at Brentford on Friday, and he had started six of Chelsea’s seven games.
The groin strain that plagued him in a run of 2025-26 games has carried over into the current campaign, and Chelsea have had to manage it. He last appeared for England during their 1-0 friendly loss to Japan in March.
The hamstring trouble that kept Rice out of action during the World Cup has carried over into his work with Arsenal this season, though it has been managed throughout. He has taken the field for just 549 of the 630 minutes available to him across all competitions this term.
Livramento’s knee injury came late in the squad for Saturday’s game against Hull. He has been limited to three substitute appearances for Newcastle this season.
The call-up of Gibbs-White and Garner gives Tuchel two fresh options, though both come with their own injury histories. Gibbs-White made his most recent England appearance in a 3-0 friendly win against Wales in October 2025. He has one goal and two assists from Forest’s five league games this season.
Both players join the squad after not being selected for the 2026 World Cup, with Garner having made both of his two senior England appearances in March. They are both younger players who were not part of the initial squad.
Spain travel to Wembley for a Saturday fixture against England on 26 September. The Nations League programme keeps going with a visit to the Czech Republic on 29 September and another trip to Croatia on 3 October, followed by England hosting the Czechs at home on 6 October during an international break that runs longer than usual.
Source material: “Palmer & Rice among five withdrawals from England squad,” the BBC.
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