The Sunday Mail
Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford and Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka have been ruled out of England’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Poland, with manager Gareth Southgate saying midfielder Jordan Henderson faces a race against time to be fit for this year’s European Championship.
Both Saka and Rashford missed last week’s 5-0 win over San Marino at Wembley.
Rashford, 23, joined up with Southgate’s squad despite carrying a foot injury and will return to United after further assessment.
Saka, 19, had not linked up with the group because of a hamstring injury.
Three Lions boss Southgate had been hopeful the pair would be fit to be involved, but it has been decided they will not be fit enough to feature in this round of international fixtures.
England travel to Tirana to face Albania in their next Group I qualifier today, before hosting Poland at Wembley on Wednesday.
Henderson underwent groin surgery last month, after picking up the injury in Liverpool’s 2-0 Premier League defeat by Merseyside rivals Everton and was expected to be sidelined for at least five weeks.
However, the 30-year-old could be out for much longer, casting doubt over his availability for the Euros which are scheduled to begin in June.
“We know it’s going to be close to the end of the season and we will just have to see how it goes,” Southgate said.
“We are conscious that with any injury of that nature, there is a guide and a time defined – but that anything can happen along the way.
“In terms of promises, we can only say that Hendo himself is very optimistic about how the operation went and the prognosis that the specialist has given him as to what is possible.
“We also know he is likely to be a bit short of match minutes in high-level games. There are a lot of things to take into consideration but, at the moment, that is a decision that is a few weeks away.”
Henderson has 58 caps for England and was a key member of Southgate’s side that reached the 2018 World Cup semi-finals.
BBC/Reuters
