Bristol City captain Jason Knight ruled out of international showdown with England at Wembley

Bristol City captain Jason Knight will no longer be facing England at Wembley after the Republic of Ireland’s 1-0 win over Finland.

Brighton forward Evan Ferguson’s first-half goal secured all three points for The Boys in Green in Thursday night’s clash to ensure Heimir Hallgrimsson can no longer finish bottom of the Group 2 table.

Knight played the full 90 minutes at the Aviva Stadium and while it wasn’t the 23-year-old’s best display, he more than held his own in the middle of the park as he so often has in City colours.

However, the former Derby County man was booked after just 12 minutes, his second yellow card in this year’s Nations League Group Stage after he was previously cautioned in Ireland's 2-0 defeat to Greece in the September international break, which will see him suspended for Sunday’s meeting with the Three Lions.

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UEFA’s rules state: “During the league phase, players and team officials are suspended for the next competition match after two cautions and any subsequent even-numbered caution (e.g. fourth, sixth).”

Knight did face Lee Carsley’s side earlier in the competition, coming on as a second-half substitute when goals from Jack Grealish and Declan Rice secured a comfortable 2-0 win for England.

Although the Robins skipper will be disappointed to miss out on an opportunity to feature against the Three Lions at Wembley, the midfielder’s suspension may come as a relief to Liam Manning.

City’s options in the middle of the park are rather limited at this moment in time with Joe Williams and the versatile Kal Naismith sidelined through injury. The former is expected to be out for an extended period of time after hobbling in the first half of the win over Preston North End.

Although Max Bird and Marcus McGuane are both more than capable of starting in a deeper midfield role, with Knight ruled out of the Wembley showdown on Sunday, Bristol City no longer run the risk of the 23-year-old picking up a knock in the final international fixture of 2024.

Manning will need his skipper to be fit and ready to face Scott Parker’s promotion-chasing Burnley at Ashton Gate on Saturday, November 23 as the Reds look to build on their impressive 2-0 win over Norwich City before the break.

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