England make double Arsenal announcement after Mikel Arteta given two new injury worries

England have confirmed that Arsenal duo Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice have pulled out of the squad for the Nations League fixtures against Greece and Republic of Ireland over the next week.

Saka and Rice - who both started for the Gunners during their 1-1 draw at Chelsea on Sunday - were called up as part of Lee Carsley's 26-man squad last Thursday for their final two matches of 2024.

However, Saka and Rice have both now dropped out of contention for the trip to Greece this Thursday and the home game against Ireland at Wembley on Sunday. It means that the Arsenal pair will have a 13-day break before the Gunners face Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday, November 23.

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Saka was forced off in the 80th minute of the clash with Chelsea and Mikel Arteta revealed in his post-match interview that "it doesn't look good". The 22-year-old also picked up an injury during the October international break which ruled him out for Arsenal's games against Bournemouth and Shahktar Donetsk.

Rice withdrew from the action with just over 25 minutes remaining on Sunday. The midfielder appeared to suffer a setback after missing the trip to Inter Milan with a broken toe.

Speaking on Saka and Rice after the trip to West London, Arteta said: "It doesn’t look good, because for two players of that importance to tell you they cannot continue in the game, it’s not good news.

"I don’t know whether to expect them to be fit because if not they don’t come off. What I'm praying for is that after the international break we have the team fully physically equipped, that they are available and that they are fit, because it's been a nightmare for eight weeks."

Arteta's side have endured somewhat of a difficult couple of weeks since the last international break. They have won just two of their last seven matches in all competitions, although neither of those victories were in the Premier League. The Gunners have two points from their last 12 available in the top flight.

Alongside Saka and Rice, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Levi Colwill, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Cole Palmer and Aaron Ramsdale are also unavailable for England's next two fixtures.