England defender John Stones has withdrawn from the national squad for the next two World Cup qualifiers because of an injury. Manager Thomas Tuchel confirmed he does not want to take risks with the 31-year-old, who arrived at training with a muscular issue that failed to improve. Stones has started all three of Manchester City’s Premier League matches this season.
Tuchel prioritizes caution with Stones
Tuchel explained that Stones came to camp with minor problems and did not recover as expected. “He came with minor issues and didn’t progress as we thought and hoped he would, so he left camp this morning,” Tuchel said. The manager added that all other players remain available. “We had 21 players yesterday in training and 21 players today in training and hopefully make sure everyone is available for tomorrow,” he said.
Other centre-back options
Tuchel can still rely on Marc Guehi, Dan Burn, Ezri Konsa, and Jarell Quansah at centre-back. England face Andorra at Villa Park on Saturday before traveling to Serbia for their next qualifier on Tuesday.
