England forward Marcus Rashford has pulled out of the England squad and will join Nick Pope and Mason Mount on the sidelines. Rashford was substituted seven minutes from time in Sunday’s FA Cup win at Old Trafford, and the FA confirmed on Monday that he will miss the international double-header due to an injury. Chelsea manager Graham Potter had previously indicated before of Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Everton that Mount would not be fit to leave for international duty, despite being chosen to Gareth Southgate’s team.
“Indeed, I was astonished to see his name mentioned. We will almost certainly seek clarification as a club as to why he was there. He needed some time for his injuries to heal, which effectively ruled him out of the England game,” Graham Potter said about Mason Mount and Marcus Rashford being named in the England squad. “I’m not sure if that indicates they required some extra time to double-check that. But I don’t believe there’s anything suspicious going on. It’s more that these things can sometimes be labeled, but they can still be modified in a couple of days. But, as far as I knew, he was unavailable for the weekend, according to my selection criteria.”
Nick Pope played 90 minutes in Newcastle’s triumph over Nottingham Forest on Friday night, but the FA has ruled him out of contention due to an injury sustained during the encounter. According to reports, despite playing the entire game at the City Ground, the goalie missed significant portions of training last week in preparation for the contest. In Pope’s place, Tottenham’s Fraser Forster, who has been filling in as the club’s No. 1 in the absence of Hugo Lloris in recent weeks, has been called up. It is his first international call-up since last March.
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