Bukayo Saka, John Stones, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Anthony Gordon will all miss England’s friendly with Bosnia and Herzegovina.
This has been confirmed Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate, who has named Kieran Trippier as his captain for Monday night’s clash with Harry Kane confirmed to not be starting the game.
The match is taking place at Newcastle’s St James’ Park – live on talkSPORT – where Trippier has made his home following his switch to the Toon in January 2022.
This will see usual skipper Kane dropped to the bench to give him such much-needed rest, allowing Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney the chance to impress.
And Southgate has announced that five of his provisional 33-man Euro 2024 squad, which will soon be cut to 26 players, will play no part against Bosnia.
Manchester United defenders Maguire and Shaw – along with Magpies winger Gordon – didn’t get involved in England training on Sunday due to respective niggles, with the Red Devils pair set to miss Friday’s encounter with Iceland.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference of the trio, Southgate said: “All are progressing well, so we’re pleased with the progress they’ve made.
“None of them will be involved tomorrow.”
He then announced that Stones and Saka, who missed Arsenal’s final Premier League game due to a muscle knock, will also be absent on Monday, though he stressed the duo are fit and not injured.
The ex-Middlesbrough manager added: “It’s the same tomorrow for Bukayo and probably for John Stones. Everybody else will be involved.”
Asked why the duo won’t be in action, Southgate remarked: “John because he reported a bit later so hasn’t worked with us for a number of days.
“So it’s better for him to follow an individual programme for the next couple of days.
“Bukayo is fine, he’s progressing well, but the periodisation we’ve taken from his injury is to rest tomorrow, and then he should be available for Friday.”
Southgate was then pressed to offer up more information regarding Maguire, Shaw and Gordon, as attention turns to whether they could be involved against Iceland at Wembley – the final friendly for England before Euro 2024.
Through laughter, he stated: “Not really! They’re all progressing well, what can I tell you?
“I think Anthony has a good chance to be available for Friday, the other two, that’s a little but more unlikely.
“But we’ll just see how quickly they can go really.”
Trippier himself also expressed his pride at being named England captain for the match.
“The people at England asked me if my son wanted to be mascot, and I was absolutely delighted,” he said.
“I just said, ‘I hope I’m playing’. I’m just so proud. My son’s walked out many times at St James’ with me, but for him to walk out while I’m leading out my country is going to be something that I’ll never forget.”
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
