Thomas Tuchel considers major Dowman decision as England stars ditch squad

Thomas Tuchel could turn to Max Dowman for England's upcoming Nations League games after a string of high-profile withdrawals. Marcus Rashford, Declan Rice, Cole Palmer, Kobbie Mainoo and Tino Livramento have each pulled out of the Three Lions' upcoming clashes over the course of the international break.

England are poised to take on Spain and Croatia - as well as a double header with Czechia - as they look to kickstart their campaign. However, Tuchel will be without a number of trusted first-team players for those outings.

Arsenal's Rice has reportedly withdrawn due to concerns over load management, while Chelsea star Palmer has picked up a minor injury that he is looking to manage at his own pace. A similar situation applies to Manchester United's Rashford, who sustained a knock during Sunday's 1-1 draw with Fulham.

His club-mate Mainoo, along with Newcastle United's Livramento, are also recovering from minor injuries of their own. While Morgan Gibbs-White and James Garner have been drafted in as replacements for the forthcoming four matches, it is understood that Tuchel is weighing up a call to teenage sensation Dowman.

Dowman is already stationed at St George's Park with England's U19 setup, meaning Tuchel would not need to look far should he decide to hand the 16-year-old Arsenal starlet a Nations League call-up. It follows the Chelmsford-born talent's six Premier League appearances for the Gunners last season.

During that run, he became the top flight's youngest-ever goalscorer when he netted against Everton in March at just 16 years and 73 days old. He also notched three Champions League outings under Mikel Arteta in a whirlwind campaign juggled alongside sitting his GCSEs.

Nevertheless, despite fierce rivalry for places, that proved insufficient to secure Dowman a spot in Tuchel's 2026 World Cup squad for North America - a selection that also saw Palmer, Phil Foden, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Lewis Hall left out.

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The teenage sensation could shortly earn his first senior cap for the Three Lions over the coming fortnight, though, should Tuchel need additional reinforcements to his Nations League party.

England launch their campaign against Spain at a sold-out Wembley on Saturday, September 26. The Three Lions then head to Prague to face Czechia on Tuesday, September 29.

A three-day break follows as Tuchel's side gear up to meet Croatia in Rijeka on Saturday, October 3 - a fixture which will take place behind closed doors following crowd disturbances during the nation's quarter-final against France in the same tournament back in March 2025.

Roughly 100 England supporters will be permitted to attend, however. Following another three day lay-off, England are back at Wembley to face Czechia for a second time.