Cole Palmer and Arsenal's Declan Rice are among five players ruled out of England's Nations League matches against Spain, Czechia and Croatia through injury, the Football Association confirmed on Monday. Morgan Gibbs-White has been called up, replacing Palmer in an England squad for the second time in 18 months, along with Everton's James Garner.
Manchester United's Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo and Newcastle's Tino Livramento have also withdrawn. The FA said all five had injury issues but did not describe them. Garner, who won his first two caps in March, and Gibbs-White report to St George's Park with the rest of the squad on Tuesday.
Palmer played the full 90 minutes of Chelsea's 3-0 defeat at Brentford on Friday. Thomas Tuchel had recalled him last week after leaving him out of the World Cup squad, and said the Chelsea forward now had to "get his shirt and justify the nomination".
He will not get the chance this month. Palmer has four goals and two assists in seven appearances this season, and had told Sky Sports he felt fitter than he had in a long time after a recurring groin problem disrupted his 2025/26 campaign.
The same swap, 18 months apart
England have been here before. Before the World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia in March 2025, the FA added Gibbs-White to the squad while Palmer stayed at Chelsea to be assessed on an injury picked up in training.
Palmer has now dropped out of at least four England squads in two years, including the September and November windows of 2024. His most recent England appearance was the 1-0 friendly defeat by Japan at Wembley on 31 March.
Gibbs-White, 26, was left out of Tuchel's original 27-man squad. The head coach said on Friday that the Nottingham Forest midfielder had been close to selection, and credited his form at the end of last season with keeping Forest in the Premier League. He has six senior caps and last played for England in the 3-0 friendly win over Wales in October 2025.
Two from United
Rashford and Mainoo both came off late in Sunday's 1-1 draw at Fulham. Michael Carrick said Rashford had picked up an issue, and Sky Sports reported that it is a hip problem United have been managing since the World Cup. Sky Sports also reported that Carrick described Mainoo's substitution as tactical, but the FA has listed him among the injury withdrawals.
Spain at Wembley on Saturday
England open their Nations League Group A3 campaign against the world champions Spain at Wembley on Saturday 26 September, kick-off 19:45 BST. They play Czechia in Prague on 29 September and Croatia in Rijeka on 3 October, then host Czechia at Wembley on 6 October.
Correction, 22 September: an earlier version of this article said the FA had not announced Palmer's withdrawal when it was published. The FA had confirmed it, with the four other withdrawals, at 13:30 BST on 21 September. The article has been updated throughout.
