West Ham midfielder Declan Rice has withdrawn from the England squad for their crucial World Cup qualifiers due to an illness.Rice will miss England’s matches against Albania and San Marino as they look to seal qualification for next year’s World Cup in Qatar. However, the English Football Association announced that the brave midfielder will be absent.Declan Rice’s game by numbers vs. Liverpool:91% pass accuracy 75% total duels won21 attempted forward passes 18 successful forward passes 10 ball recoveries 6 attempted tackles 5 successful tackles 1 interception1 switchBelieve the hype. ⚒ pic.twitter.com/Rk2MKJg3U1— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) November 7, 2021 “Declan Rice has withdrawn from the England squad. Having been unable to train due to illness since reporting to St. George’s Park, the midfielder has returned to West Ham United and will play no part in the forthcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers. No additions to the squad are planned at this moment in time. Mason Mount and Luke Shaw are still yet to link up with the group and continue to be assessed following dental surgery and concussion respectively.”England boss Gareth Southgate had already been hit by the withdrawals of Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford and Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse due to fitness issues.Chelsea’s loss was Arsenal’s gain: New England star Smith-Rowe wasn’t “big enough” for the BluesArsenal midfielder Emile Smith Rowe was added to the squad for his first senior call-up after Rashford and Ward-Prowse bowed out. Rice has started five of England’s World Cup qualifiers, most recently playing 90 minutes of their 1-1 draw with Hungary in October. For his club, he has played every minute of their eleven Premier League games, scoring once in their 4-1 win over Aston Villa last month.Friday, 22.45: (1.15) England (9.00) Albania (22.0)The Euro 2020 runners-up sit top of Group I and need four points from their last two qualifiers to be certain of reaching the World Cup. They host Albania at Wembley on Friday before travelling to face San Marino on Monday.
