Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa has withdrawn from the England squad due to injury. The 26-year-old had initially been called up for the upcoming Nations League matches against Greece and Finland. However, Konsa will not participate in these fixtures and will remain with Aston Villa for recovery. His injury led to his early departure after just 12 minutes in the recent goalless draw with Manchester United on Sunday. This adds to Villa’s current challenges, as they are already missing key players John McGinn, Jacob Ramsey, and Amadou Onana, the latter two also having missed the Sunday match.
Lee Carsley, serving as England’s interim manager, has elected not to call up any replacements for Konsa’s withdrawal. The Football Association confirmed the absences of Manchester United midfielder Mainoo and Nottingham Forest midfielder Gibbs-White alongside Konsa.
Unai Emery, Aston Villa’s manager, commented on the situation with his players
Unai Emery said, “I don’t know if it’s a big or small injury. The players who do not play with their national teams have to rest now and we will try to get players like Amadou Onana, Jacob Ramsey and John McGinn back in the next two weeks. Hopefully we will soon have Boubacar Kamara and Tyrone Mings available after long-term injuries and then we have Emiliano Buendia who is getting fitter.”
Konsa played a crucial role in England’s recent match, a 2-0 victory over Finland, marking his spot in the starting lineup. Meanwhile, Mainoo featured prominently by playing 77 minutes in Carsley’s first game in charge, a 2-0 win over the Republic of Ireland in Dublin. Despite injury concerns, Harry Kane is set to feature for the Three Lions in their upcoming fixtures.
