England stars meet up for crunch Italy clash but three stars including Rashford OUT in huge blow to Gareth Southgate
THREE England stars have pulled out of the squad ahead of Thursday's trip to Italy.
Gareth Southgate named a 25-man squad for the Euro 2024 qualifiers last week, including the likes of Ivan Toney and Kyle Walker.
And the lads on duty were full of smiles as they rocked up at St George's, complete with luggage and dapper attire.
But the Three Lions have confirmed Marcus Rashford, Mason Mount and Nick Pope did not link up with the team today.
Goalkeeper Pope managed to get through 90 minutes for Newcastle at Nottingham Forest on Friday but has been nursing a minor injury.
So he has been replaced by Tottenham stopper Fraser Forster to join Jordan Pickford and Aaron Ramsdale.
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Forster has six England caps to his name, making his debut in 2013 and last featuring in 2016.
He was last part of the camp in March 2022 - his first call-up for five years - but did not feature.
Forster is currently filling in for Hugo Lloris at Tottenham.
However, no one has come in for Rashford or Mount.
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The Manchester United striker withdrew from the squad after picking up a knock in Sunday's FA Cup win over Fulham on Sunday.
And the news is a blow for Southgate because Rashford, 25, has been in terrific form since the World Cup, scoring 19 goals in 25 games.
Another injury is also a frustration because over the last three seasons, he has pulled out from a number of internationals with injuries.
Mount, 24, was initially called up by Southgate with England not realising he was still not fully fit.
The Chelsea midfielder last played on February 26 and although he has returned to training with his club side, he is not ready to feature on international duty.
It means Mount will stay at Cobham to continue his rehab with Raheem Sterling but Ben Chilwell, Reece James and Conor Gallagher all travelled to St George's Park.
England play Italy in Naples on Thursday and Ukraine at Wembley on Sunday.
