Ninth England star pulls out of squad as Lee Carsley calls up Liverpool ace

The England squad has been hit by a ninth injury withdrawal as Lee Carsley prepares for the upcoming Nations League fixtures against Greece and the Republic of Ireland.

Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite will miss the two crucial matches and Carsley has selected Liverpool defender Jarrel Quansah to as his replacement.

The young centre-back will now join the senior team, with Branthwaite unable to participate in this week’s training sessions.

The interim England boss explained: “We have tried to give Jarrad as long we can but he is probably gonna miss out so Jarrel will join the travelling party and take part in the rest of the camp. I think it’s really important that Jarrad hasn’t trained.

“He’s been treated for the last two or three days and it’s an issue that Everton will now take over when he goes back. We will never gamble with a player’s fitness.

“It’s so important that they are fit and healthy and playing week in week out because that will help us in the future picking a as strong a squad as we can.”

Carsley also remarked on the opportunity presented to Quansah, saying in a press conference: “It’s a great opportunity for Jarell.”

Despite the setbacks, Carsley remains confident in the abilities of England’s young talents to rise to the occasion against Greece and Ireland.

The squad has seen fresh faces like Lewis Hall and Taylor Harwood-Bellis receive their first senior call-ups, while Morgan Rogers has also joined the ranks due to several high-profile absences.

Carlsey said: “I have a lot of trust in the players. The players who have been called into the squad, I take in to consideration whether they can handle that.

“But they are performing in the Premier League which is potentially one of the strongest leagues in Europe if not the world and they are holding their own in that. So I have a lot of faith in confidence in them.

“It’s important we remember their age but if the ultimate goal is to win the World Cup, then we need to get players in a position where they have experienced these kinds of events and games, and hopefully, we can have a positive experience.”

Branthwaite follows Aaron Ramsdale, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Levi Colwill, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer, Jack Grealish and Phil Foden in pulling out of the squad.