John Stones ruled out of England World Cup qualifiers with injury | OneFootball

England defender John Stones has been ruled out of the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia after failing to recover from a muscle problem.

The Manchester City centre-back joined up with the national team earlier this week but left the camp on Friday morning after it became clear he was not fit enough to feature.

Manager Thomas Tuchel confirmed the decision, explaining that Stones had arrived with discomfort.

“He came with minor muscular issues,” Tuchel said. “We hoped he would recover, but he didn’t progress as we thought he would, so he left camp this morning.

“We will not take the risk, not against Andorra and also unfortunately not against Serbia.

Stones has started all three of Manchester City’s Premier League games this season but will now return to his club for further assessment.

His absence leaves Tuchel with Marc Guehi, Dan Burn, Ezri Konsa and Jarell Quansah to choose from. All trained with the squad on Thursday and Friday.

“Everyone else is available,” Tuchel added. “We had 21 players in training yesterday and 21 today. Hopefully, we keep them all fit for tomorrow.”

England face Andorra at Villa Park on Saturday before travelling to Belgrade to play Serbia on Tuesday. Both fixtures are part of the qualification campaign for the 2026 World Cup.

Tuchel confirmed that captain Harry Kane will start against Andorra, even with the quick turnaround before the trip to Serbia.

“It’s World Cup season,” Tuchel said. “We have a condensed period of three camps until the end of qualifying.

“Competition is on, so we will start with the team that we trust and with the best team possible for this game, and then manage the second game.”

England are top of their qualifying group, and victories in both fixtures would put them within touching distance of securing a place at the finals.

Stones’ injury is a setback, but Tuchel’s insistence on fielding strong line-ups suggests England are determined to maintain their momentum.