Jude Bellingham and Levi Colwill have both withdrawn from the England squad ahead of the Three Lions final two Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia.
Real Madrid‘s Bellingham and Chelsea‘s Colwill have both been struggling with shoulder injuries and the duo will now return to their parent clubs for further treatment, but who will boss Gareth Southgate call up to fill the void?
Bellingham’s Replacement
Much has been made of James Ward-Prowse‘s omissions from recent England squads but Southgate will likely call upon the West Ham midfielder to plug the gap left by Bellingham. Ward-Prowse was often the standout star in his Southampton days and has made an excellent start to his Hammers career since joining in the summer, contributing 10 assists in all competitions this season and notching two goals – very impressive numbers from his 17 appearances.
Anthony Gordon is another name who has been touted for an England call-up after his fine start to the 2023/24 Premier League season. Although he doesn’t play in the same position as Bellingham and Ward-Prowse, it would be ideal to give the Newcastle man his international debut with England having already booked their spot at Euro 2024.
An update from St. George's Park, as @BellinghamJude and @levi_colwill return to their clubs to continue their rehabilitation.
Recover well, lads 👊
— England (@England) November 14, 2023
Colwill’s Replacement
England already have the likes of Harry Maguire, Marc Guehi, Fikayi Tomori and Ezri Konsa as their main centre-backs so it wouldn’t be a huge surprise for Southgate not to call up a direct replacement for Colwill. Something that has been lingering on since the 2022 World Cup is Ben White‘s continued absence from the national side.
The Arsenal defender left the squad during last winter’s tournament owing to ‘personal reasons’ and hasn’t featured for the Three Lions at all in 2023. With that said, White missed Arsenal’s win over Burnley on the weekend with a niggling injury so he perhaps wouldn’t have been a viable option to be called-up.
Outside Options
Manchester United’s Mason Mount has previously been a regular in Southgate’s sides but hasn’t played for the Three Lions since the World Cup quarter-final defeat to France in 2022. At club level this season, Mount hasn’t been a huge hit at Old Trafford since his move from Chelsea, but the England boss could be tempted to draft him back in.
Newcastle United’s Tino Livramento has seen a lot more game time this season and he is starting to become a hit on Tyneside with his assured and confident displays. A regular in the U21’s, Livramento will almost certainly get his first senior call-up soon and it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see Southgate include him in the squad for the upcoming fixtures against Malta and North Macedonia.
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