England hit by injury issues as Lee Carsley prepares to name final squad

Interim boss Lee Carsley has injury headaches to contend with as he selects his final squad before handing the England reins to Thomas Tuchel.

The German coach was confirmed as Gareth Southgate’s permanent successor shortly after last month’s Nations League double-header against Greece and Finland.

Tuchel has signed an 18-month deal that begins on January 1, so will only be an interested observer during November’s games in Greece and at home to the Republic of Ireland.

Defeat in Athens next Thursday would end England’s chances of automatic promotion from the second tier and mean his first camp in March would involve Nations League play-off fixtures.

Carsley is hoping to return to his role as England Under-21s boss on a high but is dealing with a variety of injury issues ahead of making Thursday’s squad selection.

Declan Rice is a doubt with a foot injury sustained in Arsenal’s trip to Newcastle kept the midfielder out of Wednesday’s Champions League trip to Inter Milan.

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta: “Declan unfortunately picked up an injury against Newcastle.

“It is a knock, a problem on his foot, and he wasn’t comfortable to put his boots on so at the moment he is not fit.

“He wasn’t feeling good the last few days. We’ll have to assess him on Thursday and see if he’s ready for Chelsea.”

Jack Grealish and John Stones have missed recent matches for Manchester City, while Cole Palmer has been unable to train after being caught by Lisandro Martinez on Sunday.

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca felt the Manchester United defender should have been sent off for a stoppage-time tackle and Palmer is touch and go for their match against Arsenal on Sunday.

Asked whether there was a chance Palmer could miss the game, the Blues boss said: “Yeah, for sure.

“He didn’t train the last two days. The tackle it’s quite clear was not a normal one. But hopefully he can be back.”

Harry Maguire, Kobbie Mainoo and Luke Shaw remain unavailable for Manchester United, while Crystal Palace pair Eberechi Eze and Adam Wharton have injuries of their own.

Uncapped Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones has a good chance of being selected.

The 23-year-old was part of the Euro 2024 training camp and was last month called up as an injury replacement by Carsley, only to withdraw after the Greece game due to the birth of his daughter.

Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers continues to push for a first call-up and overcame a knock sustained at Tottenham to start against Club Brugge in the Champions League on the eve of the selection.

Left-back continues to be a problem area for England and Lewis Hall’s displays there for Newcastle have caught the eye.

Marcus Rashford and James Maddison are among those pushing for a return to the England squad, as are Jarrod Bowen and Aaron Ramsdale.

Carsley’s squad will be announced at 2pm on Thursday before the interim boss speak to the media at St George’s Park.

England head to the Olympic Stadium in Athens next Thursday to face Greece, who have a three point cushion over them at the top of Group B2.

The international year ends with the Wembley showdown against Ireland – the nation Carsley represented as a player – three days later.