Ben
Chilwell will miss England's UEFA Nations League fixture with Belgium on
Sunday after his arrival to the squad was delayed further with a non-Covid
related illness.
Chilwell, along with Tammy Abraham and Jadon Sancho, was barred from
entering the England camp with the rest of the squad on Monday, after the
trio attended a birthday party in Abraham's London flat last weekend. The
surprise gathering had around 20 guests, and therefore breached the
Government's coronavirus rules.
England manager Gareth Southgate confirmed after the 3-0 friendly victory
over Wales that the three players would be recalled depending on them
passing a UEFA-mandated coronavirus test on Friday.
Abraham and Sancho have undergone the test but Chilwell is yet to join up
with the squad as he recovers from a non-Covid related illness.
Southgate and FA officials will decide in the coming days if Chilwell is
well enough to join the camp in time to play against Denmark on Wednesday,
live on Sky Sports, at which point he would undergo further coronavirus
testing.
Comment: Southgate's selection dilemmas vs
Belgium
After seeing off Wales 3-0 in Thursday's friendly, England return to
competitive action on Sunday against the world's No 1-ranked side, Belgium.
So how will Gareth Southgate refresh his line-up for this tough Nations
League test?
The England manager has already made clear he will be rotating his starting
XI throughout this triple-header of international games, but with Belgium
England's hardest opponents, and the result of the Wembley clash likely to
be key to the Three Lions' hopes of making the semi-finals for the second
time in a row, he will surely be looking to field his strongest XI.
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