John Stones is a serious doubt for England's Nations League squad after suffering a thigh injury. The 32-year-old defender's absence would be a significant blow to manager Thomas Tuchel's plans for the upcoming fixtures.
Stones sustained the problem during his first start for Inter Milan in a 5-3 win over Udinese, where he was substituted after an hour. The club confirmed the diagnosis on Tuesday. "John Stones underwent clinical and diagnostic tests this morning at the Istituto Humanitas in Rozzano," Inter Milan said. "The tests revealed a muscle strain to the flexor muscles in his left thigh. His condition will be reassessed over the coming days."
The timing is far from ideal, with Tuchel set to name his squad on Friday for matches against Spain, the Czech Republic and Croatia. Stones is now unlikely to be included and would miss all four Nations League games during the two-week international break. His club hopes he can return for their Serie A match against Parma on October 10.
Defensive options
With Stones sidelined, Tuchel will turn to his other centre-back options from the World Cup squad. Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa, Jarell Quansah, Trevoh Chalobah and Dan Burn are the remaining candidates for selection. England's defensive record was a foundation of their run to the World Cup semi-finals earlier this year, where they kept two clean sheets in North America.
The team currently sits first in their World Cup qualifying group with seven points from three games. Jude Bellingham leads the scoring charts with seven goals in eight appearances this season, a key reason for their strong start detailed in the stats.
England's Nations League campaign in Group 3 begins against Spain at Wembley. A top-two finish is required to advance to the knockout stage next March, while finishing fourth would mean automatic relegation to League B. The squad announcement is scheduled for 10am on Friday.
This story first appeared at Daily Mirror Football
