England loses another defender for UEFA Nations League matches; James Hill gets maiden call-up

James Hill has played 15 times for Bournemouth this season and got his first senior call-up for England, under manager Thomas Tuchel. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

England suffered another injury blow as its centre-back Ezri Konsa was ruled out of the November matches against Croatia and Spain in the UEFA Nations League.

Konsa follows Marc Geuhi out of the squad, with both undergoing their own injury recovery programmes. While Geuhi’s replacement was announced in Dan Burn, Konsa made way for James Hill for his maiden senior call-up.

“The 24-year-old, who represented his nation at MU20 and MU21 level, has joined the Three Lions ahead of the forthcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures,” the England FA said in a release.

“Meanwhile, Ezri Konsa will not be in contention for Croatia at Wembley on Thursday as he continues to follow his own programme but will return to full training later this week before Sunday’s trip to Spain.”

England, which finished third at the FIFA World Cup 2026, will play its two matches in the upcoming window on November 12 — against the Croats — and 15, with the first match scheduled at Wembley Stadium in London.

The Three Lions will be playing Croatia for the third time this year, having met it in the FIFA World Cup 2026 and then in a UEFA Nations League match. On both occasions, England has secured comfortable wins with the scores of 4-2 and 7-0, respectively.

Published on Nov 10, 2026

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