No fresh injury concerns as England prepare for opening Euro 2020 qualifier

By
published

Gareth Southgate has no fresh injury concerns to contend with as England prepare to kick-off Euro 2020 qualification against the Czech Republic.

Already without the likes of Jesse Lingard, Harry Winks and Joe Gomez, the Three Lions were hit by the withdrawal of Fabian Delph, John Stones, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Luke Shaw on Monday.

In-form Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse and highly-rated Chelsea teenager Callum Hudson-Odoi were brought into the squad and took part in Southgate’s first full session of the year on Tuesday morning.

Dele Alli (left) and Eric Dier

Tottenham duo Dele Alli (left) and Eric Dier trained for England on Tuesday (Martin Rickett/PA)

Hudson-Odoi fitted in seamlessly on the Sir Bobby Charlton Pitch, where fellow teenager Jadon Sancho scored a superb penalty in a shootout held at the end of the session.

Burnley’s Dwight McNeil and AFC Wimbledon goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale – on loan from Bournemouth – bolstered the numbers in training, while Ross Barkley and Michael Keane only joined in during the first half after playing on Sunday.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford worked inside, but the Football Association say all 23 players are fit and available ahead of Friday’s match against the Czech Republic.

The Group A opener at Wembley is followed by a trip to Montenegro on Monday.

FourFourTwo Staff
FourFourTwo Staff

FourFourTwo was launched in 1994 on the back of a World Cup that England hadn’t even qualified for. It was an act of madness… but it somehow worked out. Our mission is to offer our intelligent, international audience access to the game’s biggest names, insightful analysis... and a bit of a giggle. We unashamedly love this game and we hope that our coverage reflects that.