Ollie Watkins withdraws from England squad as precaution over minor injury
Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins has withdrawn from the England squad due to a minor injury.
Thomas Tuchel's side are preparing for Saturday's World Cup qualifier against Andorra in Barcelona before hosting Senegal in a friendly at the City Ground on Tuesday.
Watkins was part of England's training camp in Spain this week but the Football Association has confirmed the 18-cap Euro 2024 semi-final hero will play no part in the June double-header.
'Ollie Watkins will play no part in England's forthcoming fixtures against Andorra and Senegal,' read an update from the governing body.
'The Aston Villa striker has withdrawn from the squad as a precaution due to a minor injury.
'A 25-man squad will now continue preparations for Saturday's 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier at RCDE Stadium in Barcelona.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
England v Germany: European Under-21 men's final
Update: Date: 2025-06-28T18:00:08.000Z Title: Preamble Content: Hello, good evening and welcome to coverage of the European Under-21 Championship final! Reigning champions England face Germany in Bratislava tonight with both teams eyeing their fourth title. These two sides faced each other just last Wednesday, with Germany clinching a 2-1 win thanks to goals from Ansgar Knauff and Nelson Weiper. However, the Young Lions head coach Lee Carsley is confident that his team can bounce back and take revenge when it most matters. Thomas Tuchel and Julian Nagelsmann - the head coaches of the respective nations' senior men's teams - will both be in attendance at Tehelné Pole later this evening, scouting potential talent for next year's World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The question is, who will be celebrating at the end of the night? Kick-off is at 8pm BST - you don't want to miss it!
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Nico Williams makes last-minute demand ahead of £50m Barcelona switch - and the Spanish giants will have to sell to make it happen
Nico Williams has made a demand at the eleventh hour ahead of his proposed move to Barcelona after indicating his desire to leave Athletic Club. Williams, 22, has pushed for a move away from Bilbao this summer with Bayern Munich and Arsenal also reported to have been interested in signing the winger. Earlier in June, Mail Sport understood that both Barcelona and Bayern had held talks with the Spanish international only for him to opt for the Blaugrana earlier this week. However, Hansi Flick's side will have to sell players later on in the window to make Williams' move viable. The Spanish international made his mark as one of the most promising wingers in the world after starring at Euro 2024 alongside Yamal. He scored Spain's opening goal in the 2-1 final victory over England in Berlin and has so far made 28 appearances for the national team, scoring six times. But he has demanded that he be registered to their 2025-26 playing squad upon signing to ensure that his move goes through without any hitches, per Marca. Williams must also be registered to their squad along with Joan Garcia, after they signed him from Catalan rivals Espanyol. Although Joan Laporta has said this can be done without a problem, LaLiga have stated that the Catalans have not yet returned to the 1:1 rule. The regulation in Spain's top tier requires a club to match every euro spent on new signings with a euro of revenue or wage savings. Therefore, Barcelona must sell players in order to guarantee that Williams can be registered with the likes of Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, Andreas Christensen, Pablo Torre and Ansu Fati linked with a move away. However, their departures are not guaranteed, which can in part explain why Williams may have some apprehensions over his switch. He appears to want to avoid a repeat of the situations that befell Dani Olmo and Pau Victor after they signed for Barcelona - which meant their registrations were revoked. Although they were still allowed to appear for Flick's team last season, their had been a concern that they would miss out on matches as LaLiga failed to prove they were complying with the league's financial rules by the deadline on 31 December last year. Barcelona, like many other clubs, appear to be waiting for the new footballing financial year to open - which comes into force on June 30 - before they officially announce any signings. Williams scored 11 goals and provided seven assists in 45 appearances for Athletic Club last season as they finished fourth in LaLiga.
Daily Mirror
6 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Spain's two-time Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmati hospitalised before Euro 2025
Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati missed Spain's last friendly before Euro 2025 kicks off next week, having been taken to hospital after contracting viral meningitis Spain star Aitana Bonmati is being treated in hospital after contracting viral meningitis less than a week before the start of Euro 2025. Bonmati, 27, missed Thursday's training session before she was taken to a hospital in Madrid on Friday. The Barcelona midfielder was forced to miss Spain's final friendly before the tournament in Switzerland, as they beat Japan 3-1. The World Cup holders begin their campaign next Thursday, facing Portugal in Bern. Bonmati, who's won the Ballon d'Or for the past two years, shared a picture of herself on Instagram, as she watched her team-mates beat Japan from her hospital bed with a cannula in her arm. Spain manager Montse Tome provided an update on Bonmati, who helped Spain follow up their World Cup triumph in 2023 by winning the Nations League last year. "Initially all the tests came back fine but the last one confirmed she has viral meningitis," Tome, whose side also face Belgium and Italy in Group B, explained. "The word (meningitis) is scary but the doctor tells me it's under control. "She will remain hospitalised; we don't know the timeline of her recovery. She's an extremely important player for us and we will wait for her, no matter what, as long as we have to." Bonmati has earned 78 caps for Spain, scoring 30 goals. The Spanish football federation say that she'd been undergoing medical tests after suffering from a fever which failed to subside. Viral meningitis is caused by an infection and it's more common than the rarer bacterial meningitis. The NHS say that viral meningitis tends to get better within seven to 10 days and can often be treated at home. Who'll win Euro 2025? Give us your prediction in the comments section. Bonmati was part of the Spain team who beat England in the final of the World Cup two years ago and Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman has sent her best wishes. "First of all I hope she's alright and I hope she recovers well and that she can come back with the team and play, because everyone wants to see players like Bonmati," Wiegman said. "You want the best players from Europe being involved in tournaments, because that's exciting, that's what people come to watch - the best players from Europe. So I hope she will be involved and that she will get better soon."
