Cole Palmer and two other England stars pull out of Lee Carsley's squad to face Ireland

Cole Palmer has pulled out of Lee Carsley's first England squad (Image: Getty)

Cole Palmer, Phil Foden and Ollie Watkins will play no part in England's Nations League clashes with the Republic of Ireland and Finland this international break. The trio have returned to Chelsea, Manchester City and Aston Villa respectively to work on their fitness ahead of the Premier League's resumption.

Lee Carsley's interim reign will begin in Ireland on Saturday for what will be England's first match without Gareth Southgate in charge since 2016. Finland will travel to Wembley three days later to round off the Three Lions' Nations League double-header.

Former Under-21s boss Carsley named a bold first squad which included uncapped stars Morgan Gibbs-White, Angel Gomes and Noni Madueke.

Related articles England boss Lee Carsley recalls Grealish as four stars handed first call-ups Euro 2024 winner files for divorce after row with wife minutes after England win function loadOvpScript(){let el=document.createElement('script');el.setAttribute('src','https://live.primis.tech/live/liveView.php?s=114291&vp_content=plembed3e7arguyxmsj&cbuster=%%CACHEBUSTER%%&playerApiId=v114291');document.getElementById('ovp-primis').appendChild(el)} window.top.addEventListener('primisPlayerInit',e=>{try{if(e.detail&&e.detail.playerApiId==="v114291"){if(window.document.getElementsByClassName('jwplayer')[0]){e.detail.float('disable')}}}catch(e){}});window.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded',()=>{setTimeout(()=>{if(typeof flagTcfLoaded!=='undefined'&&flagTcfLoaded===!0){loadOvpScript() ExpressApp.Log('[Load] OVP flagTcfLoaded',new Date())}else{document.addEventListener("tcfLoaded",()=>{loadOvpScript() ExpressApp.Log('[Load] OVP tcfLoaded',new Date())})}},1500)})

Many of the usual suspects were also involved, with Palmer expected to play a big part in England's upcoming games after scoring in the Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain. Foden was also a prominent figure at the Euros, while Watkins scored a 90th-minute winner against the Netherlands in the semi-finals.

England Football confirmed their omission via an official statement on Tuesday evening, part of which read: "The Three Lions squad reported to St. George’s Park on Tuesday but, following assessment, both Palmer and Watkins returned to their clubs to continue rehabilitation for ongoing issues. Foden did not report through illness and is ruled out of the matches against Republic of Ireland and Finland."

Phil Foden has missed Man City's last two games due to illness (Image: Getty)

Carsley is not planning to call up replacements for any of the trio ahead of this weekend's Ireland showdown.

Foden was expected to be left out of the matches after City boss Pep Guardiola admitted that illness was still troubling the playmaker. He did not travel to London for the reigning Premier League champions' win over West Ham on Saturday.

Palmer and Watkins' withdrawals are more surprising given they both featured at the weekend. Palmer played the full 90 minutes of Chelsea's 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge, and Watkins started Villa's 2-1 win over Leicester.

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Many England regulars are yet to get back up to speed at club level following their deep Euro 2024 run with England. Of the back-four which started the final; Kyle Walker and John Stones have hardly played any Premier League football since the season started, while Luke Shaw has not played at all.

Jude Bellingham has also been feeling the effects of his gruelling schedule, with the Real Madrid star admitting 'my body is telling me I need a rest' after suffering an injury which is set to keep him on the sidelines for several more weeks.

Cole Palmer and two other England stars pull out of Lee Carsley's squad to face Ireland

Cole Palmer and two other England stars pull out of Lee Carsley's squad to face Ireland

Cole Palmer and two other England stars pull out of Lee Carsley's squad to face Ireland

Cole Palmer and two other England stars pull out of Lee Carsley's squad to face Ireland

Cole Palmer and two other England stars pull out of Lee Carsley's squad to face Ireland