Wilshere out of Italy match, Gomez remains with squad

Joe Williams

Jack Wilshere will miss England’s friendly against Italy on Tuesday, dealing a potentially fatal blow to his World Cup prospects, but Joe Gomez will remain with Gareth Southgate’s squad despite his early exit against Holland.

Wilshere was hoping to win his first cap since Euro 2016 during the double header but did not travel to Amsterdam for Friday’s 1-0 defeat of the Dutch having succumbed to a bout of tendinopathy in his knee.

Southgate initially described the decision as precautionary and suggested the Arsenal midfielder had a chance to featuring against the Azzurri at Wembley on Tuesday, though that has now been ruled out.

Instead he will remain with his club’s medical team, denying him the opportunity to further press his claims in front of a manager who has taken some persuading over the 26-year-old’s condition since taking over as national boss.

A statement from the Football Association read: “Jack Wilshere will not return to the England camp ahead of Tuesday night’s fixture against Italy at Wembley. The Arsenal midfielder didn’t travel to Amsterdam as a precaution and will remain with his club.”

With just two more friendlies before England’s first game in Russia and plans for the 23-man squad solidifying, Wilshere must now be considered firmly among the outsiders.

There was better news for Liverpool defender Joe Gomez, who was forced to leave field after just a few minutes against the Dutch after going down injured following an aerial duel.

England’s physios have checked the centre-back over and he will remain in camp at St George’s Park rather than withdrawing.

“Joe Gomez remains with the squad for further assessment following his 10th-minute withdrawal from last night’s win over the Netherlands,” the statement concluded.

The 20-year-old’s replacement at the Amsterdam ArenA, Harry Maguire, was forced off in the closing moments of the game but Press Association Sport understands there are no major concerns over the Leicester man.

Speaking after the match about Gomez, who won man-of-the-match honours against Brazil in November and was making his second star, Southgate added: “He seemed to take a knock in the air and land a bit awkwardly, so we need to check that one.

“Maguire was just a bit tight in his hamstring. We didn’t ideally want him to play that long because he had extra time (for Leicester in the FA Cup) on Sunday and hadn’t really trained with the group until Wednesday.

“Although I have to say I thought his performance was outstanding. I think he’s a top player, a really good player.”

England have two uncapped central defenders in their squad, Burnley’s James Tarkowski and Swansea’s Alfie Mawson, while Kyle Walker and Eric Dier were both used at the back by Southgate.

The Three Lions used AZ Alkmaar’s facilities for a recovery session on Saturday morning, buoyed by victory courtesy of Jesse Lingard’s first international goal, before heading back to Luton.

They will continue their preparations at the national football centre on Sunday.