England have confirmed that Chelsea attacker Cole Palmer has withdrawn from their squad for the Three Lions' upcoming Nations League fixtures.
Palmer, along with Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins, were named in interim head coach Lee Carsley's first Three Lions squad but have since returned to their clubs.
Manchester City's Phil Foden will also play no part in their matches against the Republic of Ireland and Finland after not reporting with illness.
It serves as a significant blow for Carsley in his audition for the England role on a full-time basis, with Palmer a player the 50-year-old knows well from his time in charge of the Under-21's.
Palmer was part of Carsley's European Under-21 Championship winning side last year, netting once in their semi-final victory over Israel.
Of those included in the recent Nations League squad, only Anthony Gordon (14), Morgan Gibbs-White (15), Angel Gomes (16) and Noni Maudeke (19) have made more appearances under Carsley than Palmer (13).
Palmer has continued on from his sensational return last season into this, notching one goal and four assists in three Premier League games so far this season.
He has also created 11 chances this season, a total only bettered by Dwight McNeil (13) and Andreas Pereira (14) in the top flight so far.
Teams begin hunt for promotion as League B, League C action to kick off fourth Concacaf Nations League
The much-anticipated fourth edition of the Concacaf Nations League gets underway on Wednesday, when 16 League B teams begin their hunt for promotion to taste League A action in the tournament’s next edition.
Split into four groups, the countries will face each other twice during the FIFA Match Windows in September, October, and November. However, unlike previous editions, matches will now be played at a centralized venue per group to help alleviate some of the travel challenges in the region.
Group winners will be promoted to League A, while fourth-place finishes are relegated to League C. Additionally, the tournament will help to decide berths for the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup.
Group A
El Salvador, Montserrat, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Bonaire comprise the first group. El Salvador returns to League B after being relegated in last year’s tournament, while Bonaire makes its debut after earning a promotion from League C.
Montserrat and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines will try to build on their 2023/24 Nations League campaign, in which they both finished with nine points.
Group B
Curaçao, Saint Lucia, Grenada, and Saint Martin are the teams drawn into Group B.
Saint Martin was promoted to League B, coming off an undefeated run in last year’s Nations League, while Curaçao is back in League B for the first time in three years after being relegated from League A. Grenada is also back after being relegated for the first time in four years.
Meanwhile, Saint Lucia, which tallied 10 points last year, will be hoping to ascend to League A for the first time.
Group C
Haiti, Puerto Rico, Aruba, and Sint Maarten round out Group C.
Aruba returns to League B for the first time since 2019/20 via promotion. Haiti also is back after being relegated.
Sint Maarten and Puerto Rico will rely on top scorers Gerwin Lake and Ricardo Rivera to lead the way.
Group D
The four teams in Group D are the Dominican Republic, Bermuda, Antigua and Barbuda, and Dominica.
Dominica arrives via promotion from League C to rub shoulders with Dominican Republic, and Antigua and Barbuda, who are on the hunt for a first-ever League A promotion, while Bermuda aims to improve after going 2-2-2 in last year’s edition.
At the conclusion of the group stage in November, the four group winners will qualify for the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup Group Stage, and the two best second-place finishers will advance to the 2025 Gold Cup Prelims.
The Gold Cup Prelims are scheduled for March 2025.
Meanwhile, League C action is also scheduled for Wednesday, with Bahamas and US Virgin Islands to open their Group A accounts. Barbados is the other team in the group.
Anguilla and Turks and Caicos Islands are set to cross swords in Group B, which also includes Belize, while British Virgin Islands will visit Cayman Islands in Group C, which also has St Kitts and Nevis.
At the end of the Group Stage in October, the three group winners and the best second-place finishers will advance to the 2024 Concacaf Nations League Play-In. The Play-In will take place in November 2024.
Ugarte ready to take on 'great responsibility' at Man United
Manuel Ugarte insists he relishing the opportunity to take on the great responsibility that comes with playing for Manchester United.
Ugarte, who completed his £50.5million move from Paris Saint-Germain last week, was officially unveiled to supporters ahead of their 3-0 defeat to Liverpool on Sunday.
The Uruguayan became Erik ten Hag's fifth and final signing of the transfer window, with it expected he will be in United's midfield after the international break.
He won 57 of his 98 tackles in Ligue 1 last season, more than any other player in the PSG squad, while also completing 1212 of his 1325 attempted passes, providing the Red Devils head coach a more mobile alternative to Casemiro in midfield.
Ugarte was also a part of Marcelo Bielsa's Uruguay side that finished third at the Copa America, starting all six of their games at the tournament.
And the 23-year-old revealed that Facundo Pellistri, who completed a move to Panathinaikos last month, played a huge role in his decision to join the Red Devils.
“First and foremost, its history, because we all know what a massive club United is - one of the best teams in the world,” said Ugarte.
“I also spoke a lot with Facu Pellistri, and he told me all about everything. The atmosphere that's generated, the matchday atmosphere at Old Trafford is incredible.
“So yes, I'm really excited. I'd love to experience United's legendary stadium as a player and feel the presence of the supporters.”
Ugarte also sought the views of Bruno Fernandes and Lisandro Martinez, two pillars of this current United side.
“I've watched a few games since the news started to come out,” Ugarte said. “I've also spoken with one or two players - Bruno and Licha - and I have chatted quite a lot.
“So yes, I'm really thrilled and, more than anything, eager and excited, while I obviously realise that it's a great responsibility, and I'm prepared for that.”
While Sunday’s match against Liverpool may not have gone to plan, Ugarte was able to sample the famous Old Trafford atmosphere for the first time.
During his time with PSG and Sporting CP, he has experienced playing away at Arsenal, Manchester City, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur.
“I'm really excited. I've never seen anything like it before, these United fans, because, since the news first came out, they've been sending me messages.
Argentina captaincy 'still belongs' to Messi, says De Paul
Rodrigo De Paul says the Argentina captaincy "still belongs" to Lionel Messi despite his extended injury lay-off.
The Inter Miami star has been out of action since the Copa America final due to an ankle injury and will not be involved in Argentina's upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Colombia.
Messi is still a key part of Lionel Sclaoni's plans with the national side, and he played in all but one of their games at that tournament, though only registered one goal and one assist for the tournament.
Angel Di Maria retired from international duty after their Copa America triumph and was the usual deputy to Messi, who has captained Albiceleste since 2011.
With neither of those two available, it is expected that De Paul, who has 69 international caps, will wear the armband against Chile, but he has played down the idea of deputising for Messi.
"I always say that I play the role that they give me," De Paul said.
"It's been many years. I feel like an important player in this team. That's all I can say.
"Afterwards, we know that the armband belongs to Leo. Whoever has to wear it will be circumstantial because he is the captain of this team."
Argentina are currently top of their qualifying group with five wins from six games. Meanwhile, Messi is back in training again and is expected to make his return in MLS later this month.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
