Bellingham ruled out of England qualifiers vs Malta, Macedonia

Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham and Chelsea defender Levi Colwill have been ruled out of England Euro 2024 qualifier against  Malta and North Macedonia, the Football Association (FA) announced on Tuesday.

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Bellingham missed Madrid’s 5-1 win over Valencia on Saturday due to “anterior instability of the left shoulder, a consequence of his recent dislocation,” and manager Carlo Ancelotti said after the match he would not be fit to play for his country during the international break.

The 20-year-old has been in exceptional form this season, scoring 13 goals in 13 Madrid appearances before his injury, including two strikes to beat Barcelona in his debut Clasico last month.

Colwill will also be absent international duty with a shoulder injury, missing out on an opportunity to expand on his sole England cap which came against Australia in October.

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On Monday, England boss Gareth Southgate handed first call-ups for Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, Manchester City’s Rico Lewis and Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa. England take on Malta on Friday and then face Northern Macedonia on Monday November 20. Interestingly in June when England face similar fixtures, the Three Lions hammered Malta 4-0 and Northern Macedonia 7-0. Time will tell whether Southgate and his boys will re-enact same result.