England national team will be missing 2 key pillars in defence

Another national break is coming up and the next block of matches is scheduled for next week. The national teams will once again battle it out to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. However, unpleasant health complications have hit England, who will miss Harry Maguire and Trent Alexander-Arnold. That’s a big weakening for England’s defensive line. How long will both players be absent?

The Manchester United prop injured his calf in the game against Aston Villa and had to be substituted during the 2nd half. The length of the absence is expected to last for a few weeks, so Maguire will not be involved in Wednesday’s Champions League match between Manchester United and Villarreal.

For the Red Devils, this absence is a major weakening of the defence. Victor Lindelöf is expected to replace him at fullback.

“It’s a calf, so it may take a couple of weeks. We’ll see how it goes. Of course he wanted to play. He missed the previous game (Europa League final),” Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said at a press conference ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League clash against Villarreal.

Trent Alexander-Arnold is also likely to miss the qualifiers in October. The Liverpool right back injured his groin and did not travel with the team to Portugal for Tuesday’s Champions League match (Liverpool won 5-1).

He is expected to be on sick leave for a few weeks, with a possible return expected after the national break. The outstanding full-back will miss this weekend’s Premier League match, in which Liverpool will play Manchester City in the 7th round.

“He won’t be ready for Sunday’s game, no muscle injury heals that quickly. After that, the England national team matches are on the schedule. I don’t want to make a decision for him, but from what I’ve heard, I don’t think it will be possible for him to be ready for the national team games,” Jürgen Klopp revealed in an interview with the BBC.

Gareth Southgate will announce the nominations for the upcoming national team matches on Thursday and it is highly likely that neither of these players will appear in the nomination.

England can then secure direct qualification for the final tournament next year in Qatar against Andorra and Hungary in the coming days.

Source: BBC, Twitter