Arsenal's Bukayo Saka has been ruled out of England's Nations League trip to Finland and sent back to his club for assessment on an injury sustained during the defeat to Greece. Saka played 51 minutes of England's 2-1 loss at Wembley before being replaced by Chelsea's Noni Madueke.
"Curtis Jones and Bukayo Saka will not travel to Finland," read an England statement. "Saka has returned to Arsenal for further assessment having been substituted during the second half of Thursday night's match against Greece. Liverpool's Jones remains in England due to a personal commitment." A squad of 22 will fly to Helsinki on Saturday afternoon.
The news is another setback for Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, who lost his captain, Martin Ødegaard, to ankle ligament damage during the last international break. The Gunners are also concerned about the fitness of Kai Havertz and Thomas Partey, who have also withdrawn from international duty this week.
Liverpool's Jones was a late addition to Lee Carsley's squad before the Greece game but was an unused substitute. Harry Kane was one of 22 players who trained on Saturday, raising hopes that the England captain will be fit after missing Thursday's game.
Kane could not recover from a knock picked up playing for Bayern Munich in time to feature, prompting interim manager Carsley to use an unconventional formation that featured Jude Bellingham playing as a false nine in front of Phil Foden, Saka, Cole Palmer, and Anthony Gordon. This strategy backfired as Greece stunned the hosts to move top, leaving England with no room for further errors if they want to win the group and return to League A automatically. The clash with Finland kicks off at 5pm BST on Sunday at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki.
