Kyle Walker (L) of England walks off the field during the friendly against Brazil at Wembley Stadium in London, England, March 23, 2024./CFP
Two of England's key defenders, Kyle Walker and Harry Maguire, have withdrawn from the national team because of injuries, the English Football Association (FA) announced on Sunday.
Walker, England's captain, played only 20 minutes in the 1-0 loss to Brazil at Wembley Stadium on March 23 before he was substituted for Ezri Konsa. Walker seemed to have injured his hamstring in the 12th minute when he tried to save a goal-bound shot off the line by Brazil's Vinicius Junior.
"We don't know [how serious it is]," England's manager Gareth Southgate said after the game. "He's not had many injuries, so he's not sure if it's just tightness or something more serious. We'll know more over the next few days."
Walker's injury couldn't be good news for Manchester City, which will have to host Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium in their next Premier League game on March 31. City are currently in third place on the table with 63 points after 28 games, one behind Arsenal on the top.
Harry Maguire (L) of England substitutes with Lewis Dunk during the friendly against Brazil at Wembley Stadium in London, England, March 23, 2024./CFP
Maguire played about 67 minutes in the friendly against Brazil before Lewis Dunk replaced him. Neither Maguire nor Walker will play Tuesday's friendly with Belgium. England will also lack Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka and goalkeeper Sam Johnstone in that game.
Johnstone sustained an elbow injury against Brazil before he was substituted for James Trafford. Kane didn't play in the game due to his ankle injury from Bayern Munich's 5-2 win over Darmstadt on March 16. Southgate confirmed that Kane has returned to Bayern.
Like Kane, Saka joined England with an injury. According to the FA, he didn't participate in team practice and left the camp last week as a result. The Mirror reported that he is expected to play for Arsenal against City.