Nico O’Reilly has returned to Manchester City after suffering an injury during England duty and will not take part in the side’s remaining UEFA Nations League fixtures of the international window.
The Football Association confirmed, via a statement reported by the Independent, that the defender had gone back to his club for further assessment. England will not add a replacement to Thomas Tuchel’s squad before the away match against Croatia in Rijeka or the return meeting with Czechia at Wembley.
The FA statement said O’Reilly had returned to Manchester City and would play no part in the forthcoming fixtures.
O’Reilly ruled out of remaining fixtures
O’Reilly completed the full 90 minutes of England’s Nations League opening match against Spain at Wembley, a game England lost 3-2. He then missed the 2-0 win away to Czechia after sustaining an injury in training, according to the Independent.
His withdrawal was confirmed before England’s third Group A3 fixture against Croatia. England are due to play Croatia in Rijeka on Saturday, 3 October, before facing Czechia at Wembley on Tuesday, 6 October. Newcastle United’s international update also listed those two matches as England’s remaining games in this part of the group stage.
Newcastle’s update said the Croatia match at Stadion Rujevica is scheduled to kick off at 5pm BST. England’s Wembley meeting with Czechia is listed for a 7.45pm BST start, giving the existing squad two more scheduled fixtures in the current window.
The Independent reported that England’s match in Rijeka will be played behind closed doors. That means England’s remaining away fixture will take place without spectators inside the stadium before the squad returns to Wembley for the second meeting with Czechia in the window.
O’Reilly played the full match against Spain, while England later recovered in Prague with a 2-0 victory over Czechia. Newcastle’s account said Lewis Hall played all 90 minutes in that win, which gives England a recent alternative with a full match of international action.
England’s first two Group A3 results leave the squad with one win and one defeat ahead of the Croatia game. The defeat to Spain came in the opening fixture, while the victory in Prague followed the opening defeat to Spain before O’Reilly’s withdrawal was confirmed.
Hall has recent opportunity to build on
Hall was initially named in England’s squad for the Nations League group fixtures and watched the Spain match from the bench, according to Newcastle. He then made his fifth senior appearance in Prague, where second-half goals from Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane secured the win over ten-man Czechia.
Newcastle’s update identified Hall and Tino Livramento as the defensive duo initially named in the England squad for the group-stage programme. It said Livramento had already been forced to withdraw through injury. The Independent reported that O’Reilly’s absence offered Hall another opportunity at left-back and assessed that he appeared likely to feature in Croatia. That was the newspaper’s assessment rather than a confirmed England team selection, but Hall’s 90 minutes in Prague are the most recent evidence supplied of his involvement during this window.
Newcastle’s report said Hall was handed his fifth senior cap in the Czechia match, having completed the full game at the Fortuna Arena. His involvement in that fixture provides a clear recent reference point within the current squad, while England prepare for two more matches without adding a player to replace O’Reilly.
Newcastle also reported that Tino Livramento, another defender initially selected by England, had already withdrawn from the squad because of injury. O’Reilly’s return to Manchester City therefore further reduces the original defensive contingent during the window, although the supplied reports do not specify every player who remains available to Tuchel.
The decision not to bring in a replacement means the existing group will continue through the Croatia and Czechia fixtures. The FA’s confirmation establishes that O’Reilly will not be involved in either match, after returning to Manchester City for further assessment.