England defender Reece James has been ruled out of Sunday's match against Ukraine through injury.
The Chelsea defender has pulled out of the squad and returned to his club for assessments. The right-back has already missed a number of games this season, and Mirror Football understands an ongoing issue has kept the full-back sidelined for Sunday's game.
Gareth Southgate was already without Luke Shaw, who is suspended after being sent off for two quickfire yellow cards in the win against Italy. The England boss will not be calling up any additional players, though, with the likes of Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier and Ben Chilwell all available for the full-back spots.
England were already without a number of senior players, even before James' withdrawal. Marcus Rashford, Mason Mount and Nick Pope all pulled out of contention before the Italy game, with Tottenham goalkeeper Fraser Forster taking Pope's place in the squad.
"He's never been available as far as I am aware," Chelsea manager Graham Potter said of Mount. "He needed a bit of time for his injury to settle down which has pretty much ruled him out of England. Whether that meant they needed a bit of time to double-check that, I don't know."
"I don’t think there is anything untoward at all. It's more that sometimes with these things he can be named and yet there's still a couple of days where things can be changed. But from my selection perspective he wasn't available for the weekend."
Will England beat Ukraine on Sunday? Have your say in the comments section
While James didn't start for England in Naples, he came off the bench for the final five minutes to help Southgate's team protect their lead. First-half goals from Declan Rice and Harry Kane put the Three Lions in control, but Mateo Retegui pulled a goal back before Shaw's red card made for a nervy finish.
England's players have been spotted in training ahead of Sunday's game, which is their first chance to play in front of their own fans at Wembley since December's World Cup exit. Despite topping their group and besting Senegal in the round of 16, Southgate's men were beaten by France in the quarter-finals after captain Kane missed from the penalty spot.
Kane was among those spotted in training, along with fellow striker Ivan Toney. Brentford's top scorer Toney could be in line for a senior England debut against Ukraine, having remained on the bench for the Italy game.
Kane scored his first senior international goal back in 2015, and made it 54 against Italy to break a record previously held by Wayne Rooney. Rooney congratulated his compatriot on the achievement, tweeting: "Congratulations to @HKane on becoming @England 's all-time leading goalscorer.
"I knew it wouldn’t take long but that was quick," the D.C. United boss continued. "Great man, unbelievable goalscorer and an England legend. Congrats Harry."
Kane is within 10 goals of entering the top 10 of active men's international scorers, and can move closer if he nets against Ukraine on Sunday. However, he has a long way to go to catch up with all-time leader Cristiano Ronaldo.
Upon naming his squad for the two qualifiers, Southgate explained his decision to leave out Ben White and Trent Alexander-Arnold. The Arsenal and Liverpool defenders have been regulars at club level this season but missed out this time around.
"With Ben and Trent, we have three boys in at right full-backs and we have got them just ahead of those two," the manager explained. "We're blessed in that position with depth of talent. It is the hardest position to pick.
"It is never straightforward criteria and it is always shifting around on form. Kyle and Tripps started games at the World Cup and Reece coming back is another top player so, yes, we would love to have that depth in every position on the field really."
Three points at Wembley would put England in good shape to qualify for the Euros, which begin in Germany next June. Two teams from five will qualify, with Malta and North Macedonia in the group as well as England, Italy and Ukraine.
