Pep Guardiola has been handed one injury worries after the international break as John Stones is allowed to leave the England national team camp.
John Stones will miss England’s World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia. The Manchester City defender has already left the camp after failing to recover in time from muscular issues
England boss Thomas Tuchel shared this update while speaking to reporters.
John Stones will miss the latest World Cup qualifiers. (Photo by Michael Regan – The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
“Unfortunately, John Stones just left.”
“He came with minor issues, muscular issues, to camp and didn’t progress as we thought and hoped he would.
“So, he left camp this morning (Friday) because we will not take the risk. Everyone else is available” Tuchel added.
With 83 senior England caps currently under his belt, Stones was eyeing his first minutes under new manager Tuchel. The centre-back last played for his country against Finland in October 2024, and missed the first two World Cup qualifying games with a hamstring injury.
His latest setback will now give other players in the squad to prove themselves. Dan Burn and Ezri Konsa are both avaialble after starting the last qualifier, a 1-0 win against Andorra in Barcelona, with Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi and Bayer Leverkusen’s Jarell Quansah also in contention to feature.
At full-back, Reece James, Tino Livramento, Djed Spence and Myles Lewis-Skelly are Tuchel’s four options. Tuchel made the bold move to leave out Real Madrid star Trent Alexander-Arnold, pointing to James’ form and Livramento’s adaptibility when explaining his decision.
“I spoke to Trent. It was a difficult phone call but I wanted him to hear it from me. Which he appreciated and he was very clear that he’s desperate and keen to come back and play for England,” Tuchel said.
“It’s all in the mix but it is a competitive decision. And just to make the competition a little bit more spicy. First and foremost, I think Trent is a player who needs to feel trust and love from his manager and team-mates and from his club, his country and the fans. He needs that.
“Reece is at the moment slightly ahead in this position, given what he did for us in the last two camps and how he played the Club World Cup with Chelsea. And then we went for Tino Livramento because of the rhythm that he has and he gives us the option to cover both sides.
“Ben White had a very good chance to be with us. I was very happy with his preseason and the feedback I got from him and from the club about his preseason. He started, straight away got injured, that ruined his chances with us. He would’ve had a very good chance with us.”
