Injury to Konsa hands Bournemouth's James Hill his first England call-up

Bournemouth defender James Hill has received his first senior England call-up after Ezri Konsa was ruled out of Thursday’s UEFA Nations League fixture against Croatia at Wembley.

The 24-year-old Hill, who has started 15 times for Bournemouth this season across the Premier League and Europa League, earns the call after impressing as a cornerstone of Andoni Iraola’s side during an eight-game winning run heading into the international break. England confirmed Hill’s inclusion in an official statement, noting that he had previously represented the nation at Under-20 and Under-21 level — earning four caps for the U20s between 2021 and 2022 and one appearance for the U21s against Kosovo in June 2022 while still at Fleetwood.

Konsa’s absence is another blow to Thomas Tuchel’s defensive resources, following the earlier withdrawal of Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi. England’s statement indicated that the Arsenal centre-back is following his own individual programme but is expected to return to full training later this week and could be available for Sunday’s trip to face Spain in Madrid.

The 29-year-old Konsa joined Arsenal from Aston Villa for £55m in the summer and has been a key figure at the Emirates, stepping in admirably for the injured William Saliba alongside Gabriel at the heart of the Gunners’ defence. He picked up a knee knock during Arsenal’s 2-1 Champions League victory over Slavia Prague, being substituted in the 61st minute for Cristhian Mosquera. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta played down concerns at the time, describing the substitution as precautionary during a congested schedule. Konsa subsequently played the full 90 minutes in Arsenal’s 1-0 Premier League win over Hull City.

England did not specify the exact nature of the issue that has now ruled Konsa out of the Croatia game, leaving Hill to make the most of an unexpected opportunity on the senior stage.