Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka have been ruled out of England’s next two World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Poland.
The pair missed Thursday’s 5-0 win over San Marino as England got their qualifying campaign off to a winning start.
Ollie Watkins came on to score on his debut, while Everton forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin bagged a brace.
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The FA has now confirmed that Rashford and Saka will miss the entirety of this month’s World Cup triple-header.
They released the following statement: “Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka will play no part in England’s forthcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
“Rashford reported to St. George’s Park with an injury that ruled him out of the 5-0 win against San Marino and, following further assessment, it has been decided he will continue his rehabilitation with Manchester United.
“Saka had remained at Arsenal for further assessment on an ongoing hamstring issue with the hope of joining up with the Three Lions, but will now not be available for the fixtures against Albania and Poland.”
England take on Albania away from home on Sunday at 17:00. They then welcome Poland to Wembley on Wednesday at 19:45, in what should be a tough test for Southgate’s side.
Poland boss Paulo Sousa has the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Arkadiusz Milik and Krzysztof Piatek at his disposal.
Southgate will have to do without Rashford and Saka for that match, meaning Raheem Sterling and Jesse Lingard could start on either wing.
Sterling grabbed a goal in the first half against San Marino while captaining the side. Lingard did pretty much everything right on his return to the national team, other than score. He looked lively throughout and was a constant threat, setting up Calvert-Lewin for a tap-in in the second half.
The games against Albania and Poland are England’s last until Southgate selects his team for this summer’s European Championship.
Other big names are already missing from the squad, including keeper Jordan Pickford, Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold and Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish.
Those three will be hoping for full match fitness, alongside good form, when Southgate comes to select his squad.
Jude Bellingham and Ollie Watkins could have given themselves a good chance of selection after impressing on Thursday evening.
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