Man City young star unexpectedly called up to England team before World Cup qualifiers

(NLDO) – 20-year-old center-back Nico O'Reilly was unexpectedly called up to the England team by coach Thomas Tuchel to prepare for the World Cup qualifying round in October.

The England team has just announced that defender Reece James had to withdraw from the October training camp due to injury. To replace the Chelsea captain, coach Thomas Tuchel decided to give the first opportunity to Nico O'Reilly, a 20-year-old talent of Man City.

Nico O'Reilly was called up to the England squad for the first time

This is an incredible step up for a player who has only started 10 times in the Premier League. O'Reilly has started the season extremely impressively with 9 appearances in all competitions and won the trust of coach Pep Guardiola. Most recently, this young star was rewarded by Man City with a long-term contract, lasting until 2030. Being called up to the England team is a recognition for a talent on the rise.

O'Reilly made nine appearances in all competitions for Man City

In contrast to O'Reilly's joy was Reece James' sadness. The talented defender's career has once again been threatened by injury. Despite playing the full 90 minutes in the dramatic win over Liverpool, an injury forced Reece James to withdraw from the England squad this time.

Reece James (2) and Noni Madueke (21) are absent due to injury.

The "nightmare" has haunted Reece James to the end as this is James' 23rd injury since 2019. Hamstring, knee, and ankle problems have continued to plague the talented 25-year-old defender, preventing him from maintaining a consistent streak of matches to further his career.

This England training camp sees the return of Bukayo Saka, who missed the Three Lions' matches in September due to injury. Defender Jarell Quansah has also been recalled while Tino Livramento and Noni Madueke are absent due to injury.

Bukayo Saka returns

England will play Wales in a friendly at Wembley on October 9, in a charity match organised by Alzheimer's Society International. Five days later, Thomas Tuchel's side will fly to Riga to face hosts Latvia in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers - Europe.

England has a good chance of qualifying directly for the 2022 World Cup

England are currently leading Group K after 5 wins, 7 points ahead of second-placed Albania with 3 remaining rounds of qualifying. If they win all 3 points in Riga, the "Three Lions" will have a good chance of winning the only ticket from this group to directly attend the World Cup.

England squad:

Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Man City)

Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle), Marc Guéhi (Crystal Palace), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), Nico O'Reilly (Man City)

Midfielders: Morgan Gibbs-White, Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (AC Milan), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)

Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)

Source: https://nld.com.vn/sao-tre-man-city-bat-ngo-duoc-trieu-tap-tuyen-anh-truoc-vong-loai-world-cup-196251007070820698.htm