Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers has earned his first call-up to the England senior squad for the upcoming Nations League games after eight players, including key stars from Manchester City, Arsenal, and Liverpool, were forced to withdraw due to injuries.
Rogers, 22, was initially slated to represent England Under-21s but was promoted by interim manager Lee Carsley following an impressive season start at Aston Villa, where he has scored three goals and recorded two assists in 11 appearances. Joining him are new additions to the squad: West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen, Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite, Newcastle’s Tino Livramento, and Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford.
The withdrawals include several high-profile players: Chelsea’s Levi Colwill and Cole Palmer, Arsenal’s Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, Manchester City’s Phil Foden and Jack Grealish, Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Southampton’s Aaron Ramsdale. Injuries have decimated the lineup ahead of matches against Greece on 14 November and the Republic of Ireland on 17 November.
Key players face various setbacks: Liverpool’s Alexander-Arnold left the field after just 25 minutes in a recent win over Aston Villa, while Arsenal’s Saka and Rice suffered injuries during their club’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea. Grealish, recovering from an injury, has not played for Manchester City since 20 October, a point City manager Pep Guardiola recently criticized when Grealish was initially included in Carsley’s squad. Ramsdale is reportedly out with a fractured finger sustained in a Southampton match against Wolves.
Details surrounding Foden, Palmer, and Colwill’s unavailability remain unclear, although all played full matches for their clubs over the weekend.
The upcoming fixtures will be the last under Carsley’s management, as former Bayern Munich and Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel is set to take over in January 2025.
