England squad: Cole Palmer returns to Chelsea as Phil Foden and Ollie Watkins also withdraw

Cole Palmer, Ollie Watkins and Phil Foden have withdrawn from the England squad for the upcoming Nations League fixtures.

The Three Lions face the Republic of Ireland and Finland as they begin life without Gareth Southgate in the dugout, as Lee Carsley takes charge, at least for now, on an interim basis.

Pep Guardiola suggested that Foden would not be involved in those games due to a virus and that has now been confirmed, with the Manchester City star not travelling to St. George’s Park, while Watkins and Palmer have returned to their clubs after they initially joined up with the England squad.

A statement said: “The Three Lions squad reported to St. George’s Park on Tuesday but, following assessment, both Palmer and Watkins returned to their clubs to continue rehabilitation for ongoing issues.

“Foden did not report through illness and is ruled out of the matches against Republic of Ireland and Finland.

“No further additions are planned at this moment in time.”

England return to action for the first time since the Euro 2024 final, when they were narrowly beaten by Spain in what proved to be Southgate’s final match in charge.

The Three Lions are in League B of the Nations League, after their relegation in 2022, and will be confident of making a strong start to their Group B2 campaign, even without three big names.

Foden played 45 minutes on the opening day of the season but has not been involved in his side’s last two Premier League matches.

Palmer, however, has played all three matches for Chelsea and already has a goal and four assists to his name, with it unconfirmed what the issue leading to his withdrawal from the England squad is.

It has been a slow start to the season for Watkins, who did not feature at all in pre-season for Aston Villa after his involvement at the Euros over the summer. He has been brought off just after the hour mark by Emery in each of Villa’s three matches so far this season, with the 28-year-old still waiting for his first goal of the campaign.