Tuchel dealt fresh England injury blow ahead of naming squad on Friday

England are likely to be without John Stones for their upcoming Nations League matches. Stones, 32, suffered a thigh injury while in action for new club Inter Milan earlier this week.

The centre-back is unlikely to be named in Thomas Tuchel's squad which will be announced at 10am on Friday. Stones started three of England's eight games at the World Cup, including their quarter-final win against Norway and semi-final defeat to Argentina before sitting out the third-place play-off victory over France.

Having been released by Manchester City in June, the ex-Everton star moved abroad for the first time in his career. But Stones had to be substituted an hour into his first start for the Italian giants, who beat Udinese 5-3 at San Siro on Monday.

The 32-year-old is now set for a period on the sidelines which will see him miss England's four Nations League fixtures over the two-week international break. Inter confirmed: "John Stones underwent clinical and diagnostic tests this morning at the Istituto Humanitas in Rozzano.

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"The tests revealed a muscle strain to the flexor muscles in his left thigh. His condition will be reassessed over the coming days."

According to reports, Inter hope to have Stones available when they host Parma in Serie A on October 10. Their next fixture is away to Roma this Saturday, with both sides having taken maximum points from their opening four games.

Tuchel, meanwhile, will be forced to call up and alternative in Stones' absence. Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa, Jarell Quansah, Trevoh Chalobah and Dan Burn were England's other centre-back options at the World cup.

Which defender needs to be called up instead of John Stones? Have your say in the comments section.

The Three Lions only kept two clean sheets in North America, although they managed to achieve their best finish at a World Cup since 1966. Tuchel's focus has switched to the Nations League, with England drawn in Group 3 alongside Spain, Czechia and Croatia.

England start their campaign at home to world champions Spain before trips to Czechia and Croatia. They'll then play Czechia again at Wembley to round out the extended international window.

For their final two group games in November, they'll welcome Croatia before travelling to Spain. A top-two finish would see them advance to the knockout stage in March, while finishing third would see them at risk of being relegated to League B via the play-offs. Should England finish fourth, relegation will be automatic.