Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell will have to self-isolate after having close contact with Scotland starlet Billy Gilmour who tested positive for coronavirus.
Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell Must Self-Isolate as Precaution
Unknown if Mount and Chilwell Will Be Available for Next Clash
England manager Gareth Southgate said: “I can’t say it isn’t disruptive,”
He was quizzed at the latest press conference as to whether Mount or Chilwell would be available for the next match, and said: “We don’t know at the moment.
“There’s obviously got to be quite a doubt but there’s still a lot of discussions and investigations going on behind the scenes, so at the moment they’re isolating and we just have to find out over the last 12 hours or so.
“We don’t really know at this point whether they might be OK for tomorrow or they could be out for 10 days. There’s a lot of unknowns, frankly, at this time.”
The FA are in discussions with Public Health England as to whether the England duo can take part in tomorrow’s match.
England Face Czech Republic Without Two Chelsea Stars
Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell could miss the upcoming clash with the Czech Republic, which is still an important game for England.
England sit second in Group D, with the chance to top the group should they win against the Czechs.
A draw would be enough to ensure they get second place. Third could still be enough to go through providing the nation finish as one of the four best third-placed sides (determined by points, then goal scoring or difference).
The England side looked jaded and frankly disinterested last time out against Scotland. Service to forwards, including Harry Kane, was extremely limited.
Southgate has been rotating his fullbacks, with Chilwell playing a vital role in that. In his place could be Luke Shaw, or Southgate could again shoehorn Kieran Trippier into the role as a right-footed left-back.
Mount has played every minute for England so far, covering almost 20km for his country, trying desperately to make things work against Scotland.
Nevertheless, the potential absence of Mount and Chilwell is unlikely to upset England too much. In Mount’s case, he may have been rotated in this final Group D game by Southgate to accommodate the likes of Jadon Sancho who has had no action so far.
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