England have confirmed that Arsenal pair Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka are among the eight players who will be dropping out of Thomas Tuchel’s squad ahead of Tuesday’s friendly against Japan.
Rice and Saka will be returning to the Premier League leaders for “medical assessment”, having only joined up with the England camp on Friday as part of a group of 11 players who had been rested for the 1-1 draw with Uruguay.
Arsenal’s Noni Madueke and Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton will also return to their clubs after picking up injuries in Friday’s draw at Wembley, while Manchester City’s John Stones will also leave the camp due to up a calf injury.
Fikayo Tomori and Dominic Calvert-Lewin depart having featured in the Uruguay game, along with goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, leaving Tuchel with a 27-man squad for Tuesday’s match against Japan at Wembley.
Meanwhile, captain Harry Kane, Morgan Rogers, Anthony Gordon, Elliott Anderson, Nico O’Reilly, Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa, Dan Burn and Dean Henderson will be joining the squad after arriving into camp on Friday.
The England boss had already revealed a novel approach to the two games, explaining that he wanted to “split” his squad in two for the pre-World Cup friendlies and give his core group of players some rest.
Arsenal winger Madueke was forced off in the first half after being involved in a heavy collision, but Manchester City’s Phil Foden is fine after he was replaced following a forceful tackle from Uruguay defender Ronald Araujo.
Rice and Saka had reported along with the other nine late arrivals, but England confirmed that the pair will be returning to Arsenal for medical assessment - one day after they had arrived for duty.
Tuchel had earlier said he is "worried" for Madueke after the winger was forced off during the first half of England’s 1-1 friendly draw with Uruguay following a challenge the manager described as "on the edge".
Madueke was seen walking out of Wembley with his left knee in a brace, following a 37th-minute challenge from Rodrigo Aguirre. The 24-year-old forward was immediately substituted after treatment and there are as yet no details as to the extent of the injury.
“I'm worried, of course, because I think he was a difference-maker,” Tuchel said of the Arsenal winger. “He started well, he was full of energy, he was ready to go. Very sad and upset and hopefully it's not a big injury.”
Tuchel also revealed that Stones was close to starting, only to feel an issue with his calf before the match. “He's obviously very upset and at the moment he gets my full support because it helps him more than putting more pressure,” Tuchel said.
Among the players to remain with the 27-player squad are Harry Maguire and Ben White. Tuchel earlier confirmed that Maguire is only fifth in his pecking order, naming the four centre-backs ahead of him, while Arsenal full-back White was booed at Wembley.
The 28-year-old, who was making his first England appearance since he walked out of the 2022 World Cup squad due to “personal reasons”, scored England’s goal before he gave away the penalty that led to Uruguay’s equaliser.
England's 27-player squad for Japan match
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Manchester City), Jason Steele (Brighton & Hove Albion)
Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle United), Marc Guéhi (Crystal Palace), Lewis Hall (Newcastle United), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Nico O'Reilly (Manchester City), Djed Spence (Tottenham Hotspur), Ben White (Arsenal)
Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), James Garner (Everton), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)
Forwards: Harvey Barnes (Newcastle), Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona, loan from Manchester United), Dominic Solanke (Tottenham Hotspur)
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