England defender withdraws from squad for upcoming World Cup qualifier after picking up injury ahead of Latvia clash

England have been dealt with another injury blow as former Liverpool star Quansah has been forced to withdraw from the Three Lions squad after picking up an injury. The news comes as a big blow for Tuchel's side, who are preparing to face Latvia in a World Cup qualifier. Quansah has flown back to Germany, where he will be assessed by Bayer Leverkusen's medical staff. The FA have described Quansah's release as a 'precautionary' measure, according to talkSPORT.

Quansah's departure from the squad also means that the 22-year-old will continue to wait for his maiden international cap, although he has been part of several England squads in the past. Quansah also becomes the second England star to pull out of the original squad that was named by Tuchel, after Chelsea captain Reece James. James was forced to stay back at Chelsea after the full-back suffered an injury during the Blues' 2-1 win over Liverpool last weekend. The Three Lions were also without the service of captain Harry Kane against Wales in the friendly earlier this week as the striker had suffered an ankle injury. Aston Villa star Ollie Watkins also suffered an injury during the Wales clash and is now doubtful for the qualifier against Latvia in Riga.

Tuchel surprised many with his squad selection for the October international games as he left out several big names from his list of players. Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham did not make it to Tuchel's team despite returning to action for his club, while Manchester City's Phil Foden was ignored as well. Jack Grealish too failed to make a comeback to the England squad despite regaining his form and confidence, while on loan at Everton. 

The German coach was questioned on his decision to ignore star players, to which he explicitly clarified his stance, saying, "We are not collecting the most talented players. We are trying to build a team. Teams win trophies, no one else."

After a series of injuries in the past few months, Saka is well and truly back to his best. He missed the September international games due to a fresh injury at the start of the 2025-26 campaign, but the winger returned for the October games. First, he starred for Arsenal in their last Premier League match against West Ham before the international break, where Saka scored in their 2-0 win. Then, earlier this week, the Gunners scored in England's 3-0 thumping of Wales in an international. The 24-year-old stepped up in the absence of several big names in the team and further solidified his position in Tuchel's starting lineup just months before the 2026 World Cup in North America. 

England will first aim to clinch a win over Latvia in Riga on Tuesday and maintain their 100 per cent record in the qualifiers. They can also seal a berth in the World Cup next year with two games to spare, if Serbia fail to beat Albania on Saturday. Tuchel will hope Watkins and Kane return to action ahead of the important qualifying game. He had earlier shared a positive update on the Villa star, as the German said: "He’s OK, it was a clear goal normally for him. Unfortunately, he saw the ball too late and couldn’t score and crashed into the post. It was very, very painful, but as I understand it now, it’s only painful, so no harm done."

On Kane's participation in the game, Tuchel had said: "He got a kick in his last match with Bayern Munich. It was too painful to kick a ball, it was too risky that he gets another kick and will just like be in an up and down situation pain-wise, so we gave him the chance that everything calms down. We are convinced that he will be ready for the match against Latvia."