England have announced Fabian Delph, Raheem Sterling and Jordan Henderson have all pulled out of the squad for friendlies against Germany and Brazil to add to Gareth Southgate’s woes.
Tottenham trio Dele Alli, Harry Kane and Harry Winks had already withdrawn from the squad through injury and now Southgate will have to deal with further complications ahead of Friday’s game against Germany at Wembley.
West Brom midfielder Jake Livermore and Everton defender Michael Keane are the only players that have been called up in response to the glut of withdrawals, but it would be a surprise if Southgate didn’t dip into the national pool once more.
Southgate provided a rather scathing attack on why neither Manchester United defender Chris Smalling nor Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere where included in his original 25-man squad and he may now be forced to backtrack on his comments given the sudden shortage of numbers.
This is the second England squad in a row that Delph has pulled out of after working his way back into contention with the Three Lions following a two-year absence from the international scene.
Sterling’s absence is a particular disappointment for Southgate given the form the 22-year-old has shown under Pep Guardiola this season. The Manchester City No.7 has already scored as many league goals this season than he managed last term, requiring 24 fewer appearances to match the feat (7).
