England will face Greece and Ireland in the UEFA Nations League to complete the final two games of the Lee Carsley era as interim manager, but will do so without eight of the 26 players originally called up a week ago, the national team announced.

Cole Palmer, Levi Colwill, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Aaron Ramsdale are the players who will not travel to represent England in the final two games of 2024.

All eight players are dealing with injuries of varying degrees and will remain with their respective clubs to return to full fitness as quickly as possible. It’s an alarming number of players to withdraw, but the sheer individual quality of all eight – especially the outfield players – is perhaps most worrying for an England side desperately trying to return to League A of the Nations League.

The Three Lions quickly set to work finding replacements for their injured stars. Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers received his first England call-up, while Newcastle’s Tino Livramento and Burnley’s James Trafford are also hoping to get their first minutes with the England seniors. West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen and Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite complete the list of five replacements for the withdrawn players.

England take on Greece at the Athens Olympic Stadium on Thursday, November 14, looking for revenge after the surprise 1-2 defeat at Wembley Stadium in October. The Three Lions host Ireland at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, November 17, for Carsley’s final match before Thomas Tuchel takes over as England manager at the start of the new year.