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The FA have revealed that England's Jude Bellingham and Lewis Dunk will miss the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia due to injuries.
Bellingham, who looks certain to join Real Madrid, is still nursing the hamstring injury that kept him out of Borussia Dortmund's final game of the season against FSV Mainz.
Dunk, on the other hand, has withdrawn from the squad due to an injury. The defender helped Brighton & Hove Albion keep 16 clean sheets in 42 matches across competitions this season.
England will play Malta on June 16 and North Macedonia on June 19. They defeated Italy (2-1) and Ukraine (2-0) during the previous international break.
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England manager Gareth Southgate spoke about preparation
Bellingham and Dunk's absence is certainly a massive loss for Gareth Southgate's team. The England manager has other issues to take care of as well. Several Manchester City players like John Stones, Jack Grealish, Phil Foden, Kalvin Phillips, and more will only return after celebrating Manchester City's treble triumph.
Southgate is currently working with available players. He reflected on the Three Lions' preparation as the next set of matches get closer. Southgate said on the matter (via Planet Sport):
"We've a little less training than we would have liked but today was an important session in terms of players getting back into their football movements. They all keep themselves in good shape but you're not training with the team in that period and you have to adapt your body back to the rhythm…"
He added:
"We'll get the players through today so they're ready to go tomorrow and then we start the more tactical preparation for the game with Malta. I think what we've shown in the last few months is that we're a team who now can take on some of the best teams in the world."
The Three Lions are expected to get past both Malta and North Macedonia with relative ease. Whether Southgate decides to play with his team and give reserve players more chances remains to be seen.
