Tension erupts in England camp as Saka, Palmer and six others withdraw

England's injury-hit squad raises concerns over fixture congestion as star players withdraw. Are players being pushed too far by relentless scheduling

Arsenal's Bukayo Saka joins teammate Declan Rice, Cole Palmer and Phil Foden to withdraw from the upcoming England games after sustaining injury against Chelsea on Sunday. (Photo credit: GOAL)

Following a long-standing battle against fixture congestion, eight England players have dropped out of the November international friendly window.

Three Real Madrid players were forced off within the first thirty minutes of their 4-0 win over Osasuna on Saturday, with Eder Militao confirmed to be out for the rest of the season with an ACL tear, while Rodrigo and Lucas Vazquez will be sidelined for a while.

The Los Blancos have suffered long-term injuries already this season; Thibaut Courtois is injured, and Dani Carvajal, voted fourth best player in the world at the recently concluded Ballon d’Or ceremony, won’t feature again this year after tearing his ACL too.

For England’s upcoming games against Greece and Ireland, Arsenal’s duo of Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice have withdrawn from the 3Lions squad following injuries they sustained in the 1-1 draw at Chelsea on Sunday.

Chelsea’s Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have withdrawn too, citing bugs and niggles, while Phil Foden, Trent Alexander Arnold, Jack Grealish, and Southampton’s Aaron Ramsdale have all excused themselves from the international games.

Following the mass withdrawals, Lee Carsley has called up Aston Villa's Morgan Rodgers for the first time, along with uncapped duo Tino Livramento and James Trafford. Lee Carsley has also added Jarrod Bowen and recently returned Jarrad Branthwaite to his squad.

It's crucial to inquire about the overabundance of fixtures and the extent to which players are suffering from long-term injuries. After how many ACL tears do we need to recognize that these players are overexerting themselves? The introduction of new tournaments and extra games only benefits the ruling bodies and not the players, so when does it stop?

The players have threatened to go on strike, but no one is listening. There have been calls by authorities to managers, asking them to rotate more; does that really help? Will football survive this challenge?