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Southampton’s Alex McCarthy withdraws from England squad

By Marc Walker

SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 04: Alex McCarthy of Southampton during the pre-season friendly match between Southampton v Borussia Monchengladbach at St Mary's Stadium on August 4, 2018 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images)
SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 04: Alex McCarthy of Southampton during the pre-season friendly match between Southampton v Borussia Monchengladbach at St Mary's Stadium on August 4, 2018 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images) /
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Southampton goalkeeper Alex McCarthy has withdrawn from the England squad as a ‘precautionary measure’ after picking up a minor injury.

The 28-year-old was called-up ahead of UEFA Nations League clashes against both Croatia and Spain, but he will now return to Southampton’s Staplewood training ground to recuperate.

In a brief statement on the southamptonfc.com website, the club said that McCarthy had been nursing a slight issue before joining up with Gareth Southgate’s group but did not specify the type of injury that had been picked up.

Healthy options in the goalkeeping department for England mean that Jordan Pickford, Jack Butland and Marcus Bettinelli can still be called upon for the two competitive fixtures on Friday and Monday.

Tottenham Hotspur full-back Danny Rose also withdrew this morning after also suffering with a minor complaint.

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BURTON-UPON-TRENT, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 07: Jack Butland and Alex McCarthy of England walk onto the pitch ahead of an England training session at St Georges Park on September 7, 2018 in Burton-upon-Trent, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
BURTON-UPON-TRENT, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 07: Jack Butland and Alex McCarthy of England walk onto the pitch ahead of an England training session at St Georges Park on September 7, 2018 in Burton-upon-Trent, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images) /

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The news of McCarthy returning to the South-Coast means that he will have to wait even longer for his international debut and first cap for his country.

He was included in Southgate’s squad for two internationals in September after impressing for Saints over the course of the last year, but remained on the bench for the games against Spain and Switzerland.

This time around, a particularly young senior squad was put together, with Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho, Leicester City’s James Maddison and Derby County’s Mason Mount (on-loan from Chelsea) all included.

Amazingly, McCarthy was the oldest player in the group despite being just two months away from his 29th birthday and still relatively young for a footballer.

Looking beyond the influx of youth, there are certainly positives ahead of a potentially bright future for England. Southgate has proven that he isn’t afraid to dip into the Championship to find talent that can take the team even further.

After beating all expectations in the summer with a Semi-Final at the World Cup in Russia, the ability within could certainly point to a bright future.

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