Nations League: Pulling out of England squad ‘wasn’t a possibility,’ says Gordon

Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon said the prospect of pulling out of the England squad ahead of its Nations League matches against Greece and Ireland was out of the question, despite his hip injury.

England’s Anthony Gordon during the press conference. | Photo Credit: Action Images via Reuters

Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon said the prospect of pulling out of the England squad ahead of its Nations League matches against Greece and Ireland was out of the question, despite his hip injury.

England plays Greece away on Thursday followed by Ireland three days later at Wembley, but nine players - including Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold - have pulled out of interim boss Lee Carsley’s squad due to injuries.

On Wednesday, captain Harry Kane criticised the withdrawals, saying that country must always come before club football.

Gordon was substituted with a hip issue during Newcastle’s 3-1 Premier League win over Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

Asked about pulling out of international duty, the 23-year-old told British media on Wednesday: “No, that wasn’t a possibility.

“I came here to get assessed and see how it is and the staff here thought they could help me with the injury. And they have done that, to be fair. They’ve done an excellent job because I’ve been training straight away.

“It’s gone to a certain extent, now. It’s an injury I had a couple of weeks ago and it stayed with me a little bit, but there was no chance I would not come here.”

England, who is seeking promotion to League A, is second in its group B2 with nine points after losing to Greece at home. Greece has won all four games so far.