Palmer and Rice among five England players ruled out of Nations League fixtures

Cole Palmer and Declan Rice are among five England players ruled out of the upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures against Spain, Croatia and Czech Republic, the Football Association confirmed on Monday.

Marcus Rashford, Tino Livramento and Kobbie Mainoo were also withdrawn from Thomas Tuchel’s squad due to unspecified injury issues. The FA has called up only two replacements: Everton midfielder James Garner and Nottingham Forest playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White.

The timing is particularly notable for Palmer. Last week, Tuchel had said the Chelsea midfielder would have “a point to prove” following his recall to the squad, having been a high-profile omission from the England side that reached the World Cup semi-finals before losing to Argentina. Palmer’s withdrawal denies him an early opportunity to make that case under the new head coach.

The 22-year-old played the full 90 minutes in Chelsea’s most recent outing, a 3-0 defeat at Brentford on Friday, making the nature of his injury unclear at the time of the announcement.

Rice’s absence is also a significant blow. The Arsenal midfielder has been one of England’s most important players in recent campaigns and his withdrawal leaves Tuchel short of options in the centre of the park ahead of a demanding run of fixtures that includes a meeting with world champions Spain.