England’s preparations for their upcoming fixture against Belgium have been dealt a blow with the news that defenders Kyle Walker and Harry Maguire, as well as back-up goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, have been ruled out due to injury. Manchester City’s Walker picked up the injury during England’s friendly against Brazil and was replaced by Maguire as captain. However, Maguire himself had to be substituted after seventy minutes.
In light of these injuries, England coach Gareth Southgate has called up Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford and Manchester City defender Rico Lewis to the squad. Trafford, 21, has previously represented England at the Under-21s level and played a key role in the team’s triumph at the Euro Under-21 last summer. For Lewis, this call-up marks his first senior appearance for the national team, having made his debut in November against North Macedonia.
Manchester United striker Harry Kane and Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka have already been ruled out due to injuries. This means that Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins and Brentford’s Ivan Toney could be given a chance to claim a spot in the starting lineup for the fixture against Belgium on Tuesday. Southgate has praised Toney’s confidence and link-up play, and believes that the youngster could be a crucial element in England’s lineup.
It remains to be seen how the team will cope without the likes of Walker, Maguire and Kane, but Southgate will surely be hoping for a positive result against Belgium as England prepare for the FIFA World Cup next year.
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