Arsenal Star Rice Withdraws From England Squad

England have confirmed that five players who were originally called up to Thomas Tuchel’s squad for the upcoming break have since withdrawn, with Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice among them.

Rice joins Newcastle United’s Tino Livramento, Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, and Manchester United duo Kobbie Mainoo and Marcus Rashford in being ruled out of England’s Nations League matches over the next fortnight.

According to Daily Cannon, England have confirmed that all five withdrawals relate to injury issues, and that James Garner and Morgan Gibbs-White have been called up as a result.

Rice completed his last appearance for Arsenal against Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday, so there was no obvious warning that he might be about to pull out of the international break.

Also Read: World Cup 2026: ‘This Is The Best England Group For A Very Long Time’ –Rice

But it’s well known that the midfielder has been struggling with a niggling hamstring issue in recent months, and perhaps he needed the time off to help deal with that.

Arsenal will now hope to get Rice ready for their next game at home to Leeds United on October 10th.

Arsenal still have four players in the England squad, with Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze, Ezri Konsa, and Myles Lewis-Skelly all included.

With five players out and only two called up so far, it looks like Tuchel will have a smaller squad, and the remaining four Gunners may have an increased role over the next two weeks as a result.

James Agberebi is a sports content creator and analyst with a passion for football and other sports. He writes sports news, match reports, and analysis to keep fans informed about the latest developments in the sporting world. James has covered international matches involving both Nigeria’s men’s and women’s national teams. His experience covering Nigerian football gives him a good understanding of the game and the teams he writes about. Through his work with Complete Sports, James shares sports updates, match coverage, and analysis with readers in Nigeria and around the world.