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England Loses Key Defender Stones Ahead of World Cup Qualifiers
5 Sep
Summary
- John Stones withdraws from England squad due to muscle injury
- Tuchel says Stones will not play against Andorra or Serbia
- Guehi, Konsa, Quansah, and Burn are Tuchel's center-back options
In a blow to England's World Cup qualifying campaign, manager Thomas Tuchel has announced that defender John Stones will miss the team's upcoming matches against Andorra and Serbia. Stones, who has 83 caps for the national team, withdrew from the squad earlier this week due to a minor muscle issue.
Tuchel stated that the Manchester City player's injury has not progressed as hoped, and the team will not risk playing him in the upcoming games. This leaves Tuchel with several other center-back options, including Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa, Jarell Quansah, and Newcastle's Dan Burn.
Guehi, in particular, has caught Tuchel's eye, with the manager praising the Crystal Palace captain's recent performances. "Guehi looks absolutely fine and impressive on the field, he has a good couple of weeks behind him... He is the main driver of Crystal Palace's success, he is the captain and the leader and he played very impressively at the end of last season," Tuchel said.
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Despite the setback, Tuchel remains confident in England's ability to succeed, drawing inspiration from the recent triumphs of the women's national team and the under-21 side. "It is possible (to win a trophy with England), there is no curse on English teams and we will do our very best to follow their example," he stated.
