Palmer Among Five England Withdrawals as Tuchel Loses Rice, Rashford and Mainoo

England have suffered a major injury setback before the start of their Nations League campaign, with Cole Palmer, Declan Rice, Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo and Tino Livramento all withdrawing from Thomas Tuchel's squad.

Thomas Tuchel has been forced to reshape his England squad only days after announcing it, with five players ruled out of the upcoming international window because of injury problems.

The Football Association confirmed on September 21 that Cole Palmer, Declan Rice, Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo and Tino Livramento have all withdrawn. Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White and Everton's James Garner have been called up as replacements.

Palmer's withdrawal is particularly frustrating after the Chelsea attacker had only just returned to the national squad. The 24-year-old was omitted from England's World Cup squad during the summer but earned a recall after starting the new club season with four goals and two assists in seven appearances.

Sky Sports reports that Palmer has suffered a muscle problem. He played the full 90 minutes of Chelsea's 3-0 Premier League defeat at Brentford on September 18 but will now remain away from international duty. The setback is notable given his injury difficulties last season and his recent comments that he had finally returned to full fitness.

Manchester United have also lost two players from the England group. Rashford and Mainoo were both substituted during United's 1-1 draw at Fulham, with fitness concerns subsequently ruling them out of the international window. Rice and Livramento have also withdrawn with separate injury issues.

The timing creates an immediate selection problem for Tuchel. England begin their 2026/27 Nations League campaign against world champions Spain at Wembley on September 26 before facing Czechia, Croatia and Czechia again during an unusually long international window that runs until October 6.

Garner returns after winning his first two senior England caps earlier in 2026, while Gibbs-White has already made six appearances for the national team. Their inclusion gives Tuchel additional midfield options, although only two players have so far been added following the five withdrawals.

The injury wave also interrupts what had been an interesting squad reset after the World Cup. Palmer was one of several players recalled, alongside Trent Alexander-Arnold, while younger names including Rio Ngumoha, Alex Scott and Myles Lewis-Skelly had also been selected for the opening Nations League fixtures.

For Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United and Newcastle, the withdrawals mean several important players can now focus on recovery during the international break. For England, however, losing five members of the original squad before a four-match window leaves Tuchel with an immediate test of squad depth as the new Nations League campaign begins.