England manager Thomas Tuchel has called up Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah and Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford to the squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers after Newcastle United duo Anthony Gordon and Nick Pope withdrew due to injury and concussion, respectively.
According to a report from Goal.com, England manager Thomas Tuchel has made two emergency additions to his squad for the November World Cup qualifiers following the withdrawal of two Newcastle United players.
Anthony Gordon and Nick Pope have been ruled out of the fixtures against Serbia and Albania due to injury and concussion, respectively, prompting the call-up of Trevoh Chalobah and James Trafford.
Gordon’s absence is due to him still feeling the effects of a hip injury that ruled him out of Newcastle’s weekend defeat at Brentford.
Meanwhile, Pope is unable to participate in either of England’s back-to-back qualifiers after suffering a concussion during the 3-1 loss at the Gtech Community Stadium.
The official national team statement confirmed the changes, saying: “Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah and Manchester City’s James Trafford have been added to the England squad.
This follows the withdrawal of Newcastle United duo Anthony Gordon and Nick Pope through injury and concussion, respectively.”
While Chalobah comes in to bolster the defence—and is expected to provide cover for Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi, who is reported to be a major doubt—no direct replacement for forward Gordon has been named.
Trafford replaces Pope and will provide goalkeeping competition for Jordan Pickford and Dean Henderson.
The Three Lions, who have already secured qualification for the 2026 World Cup, will first face Serbia at Wembley on Thursday before traveling to play Albania in Tirana on Sunday to conclude their qualifying campaign.