Tuchel braced for Guehi withdrawal as hip injury clouds England's Nations League double-header

Thomas Tuchel faces a potential defensive headache ahead of England’s Nations League double-header after Manchester City centre-back Marc Guehi went off at half-time of City’s defeat at Nottingham Forest with a hip problem. Guehi will undergo a scan before reporting to England’s training base at Tottenham’s ground on Monday, with the Football Association’s medical staff set to assess his fitness.

Guehi has established himself as Tuchel’s first-choice centre-back, starting all but one of England’s games at the World Cup and all four Nations League fixtures in September and October. His absence would be a significant blow as England need positive results against both Croatia and Spain to top their group and secure home advantage in the knockout rounds next March.

City manager Enzo Maresca confirmed the defender’s issue post-match. “Both injury, both asked for change,” Maresca said. “Marc Guehi injury and Josko Gvardiol had some issues already during the week. So it was just because they had problems.”

Tuchel has already indicated that several players are on standby should injuries mount. Arsenal winger Noni Madueke missed the original squad selection but was considered close to inclusion, meaning he could be called up if there are problems in the forward line. The England head coach was keen to stress the importance of players committing fully to camp.

“It’s always the ones who are in camp, the ones who don’t withdraw,” Tuchel said. “The ones who walk the talk, and come to camp and show it matters and put the quality in. That’s what we will always reward. It matters what you do in camp. The last camp was an excellent one, so the trust and belief is on the players who were there.”

On the squad’s overall shape, Tuchel added: “The camp was excellent and we were happy with the last two-and-a-half weeks we had together. The impact of all the players was immense throughout the whole camp, that’s why we stick mainly with the group and all the offensive players. We have Josh King as a new player in there, but I want to see him on both wings.”

England face Croatia at Wembley on Thursday, 13 November, before travelling to Madrid to face World Cup holders Spain on Saturday, 15 November. The previous international window saw a raft of late withdrawals including Cole Palmer and Declan Rice, though Tuchel is not expecting disruption on the same scale this time around.