Two Manchester City graduates have earned promotion to the England senior national team following a grinding injury crisis that has rocked the team.
The Three Lions will parade a wildly gutted squad in their next international friendly against Belgium tomorrow with their top stars ruled out of the game.
Arsenal star Bukayo Saka was the first to withdraw from the 25-man squad due to an undisclosed injury.
Bayern Munich sensation Harry Kane followed suit after he failed to recover the ankle fracture he sustained in Bayern Munich’s last match against Darmstadt before the international break.
While Bukayo Saka’s injury was still unknown, Gareth Southgate confirmed Harry Kane would miss the two friendlies as he was yet to recover from his injury.
Now, England FA have confirmed three more withdrawals from the England squad due to injuries.
Manchester City defender, Kyle Walker, Manchester United defender Harry Maguire, and Crystal Palace goalkeeper Sam Johnstone are the latest injury casualties that have withdrawn from the squad.
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To fill the gaps left by the exit of the three players, two more youngsters in addition to Kobbie Mainoo, have been promoted to the England setup.
England FA confirmed the call-up of the two players – Rico Lewis of Manchester City and James Trafford of Burnley – following their impressive outings with the England youth teams.
Rico Lewis and James Trafford are Manchester City academy products. Lewis broke into Manchester City’s first team in 2022 and has made 24 Premier League appearances for the club.
James Trafford broke into City’s first-team in 2021 but made 0 appearances for the club. He was loaned to Accrington Stanley in 2021 and then to Bolton Wanders in 2022 before signing a permanent contract with Burnley in 2023.
The pair have played for England U18, U19, U20, and U21 teams before earning the accidental call-up to the senior setup. Rico Lewis plays a a defender and will replace Kyle Walker and Harry Maguire while James Trafford will replace Sam Johnstone.
