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Southgate confirms double injury blow for England ahead of Albania game

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The England manager says Mason Mount and Luke Shaw might miss the World Cup qualifier.

England will face Albania in a World Cup qualifying game on Friday. The Three Lions are keen to secure their qualification by a victory, but they might have to play without two key stars.

In a pre-match interview, Gareth Southgate confirmed the injuries of Luke Shaw and Mason Mount. 

“I’ve got to check in with our medical staff for our update. The longer it goes, the more unlikely it is.

“Mason has to recover from his dental surgery. Luke didn’t pass his [head injury assessment] after the first day and rightly, we have to follow the guidelines with that.”

However, the England boss confirmed Jack Grealish is available for the upcoming match.

“Jack Grealish has trained and is ready if required.”

Arsenal’s Emile Smith Rowe got his first senior national team call up this week. Asked about the youngster’s development, the England manager responded: 

“He has settled really well,” he added. “He obviously knows a couple of his club teammates and Phil [Foden] from the U17s. This is a group that makes new players very welcome so it’s not a difficult environment to settle in and his quality has been apparent from the way he has trained.

“We have always worked on the basis that we need a strong squad because you will get injuries. We have depth and we have players who have been waiting for opportunities to play.”

After the game against Albania, England will face San Marino in their next World Cup qualifier on Monday. The Three Lions are already leading Group I of the qualifiers, being a victory away from qualification.

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