London, Nov 9 (IANS) Marc Guehi and Anthony Gordon are both set to miss England’s final two World Cup qualifying fixtures due to injury setbacks.

Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi picked up a foot injury during his side’s midweek Europa Conference League victory over AZ Alkmaar, an issue that has since left him unable to walk. Meanwhile, Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon sat out his team’s 3-1 defeat to Brentford on Sunday with a hip problem, and Magpies boss Eddie Howe later confirmed to BBC Sport that Gordon will be unavailable for England’s upcoming international fixtures.

Adding to England’s injury concerns, goalkeeper Nick Pope also suffered a suspected concussion during the loss to Brentford. Despite the setbacks, England have already secured qualification for next year’s World Cup, but will complete their campaign with matches against Serbia at Wembley on Thursday and Albania in Tirana next Sunday.

Providing an update on Guehi’s condition before Palace’s Premier League clash with Brighton, manager Oliver Glasner revealed the defender was dealing with a “heavy bone bruise”. The incident occurred towards the end of Palace’s win over AZ Alkmaar, when Guehi was booked for a foul.

“Overnight he couldn’t sleep, it was so painful and the next day we assessed him and it was a heavy bone bruise,” Glasner told Sky Sports. “He was walking on crutches the last two days and couldn’t even step on his foot. Fortunately nothing is broken, but at the moment he can’t even walk. It looks like he will miss England’s games, but after, maybe in 10-14 days hopefully he can return to training and be available again.”

England’s players are due to report for international duty on Monday, though manager Gareth Southgate will now likely have to make adjustments to his squad in light of these injuries.

–IANS

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