England duo Jude Bellingham and Lewis Dunk will both be forced to miss this month's upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers with North Macedonia and Malta due to injury.
Gareth Southgate's side, who sit top of Group C with six points from two games against Italy and Ukraine, will take on Malta in Ta' Qali on June 16 as they seek to continue their perfect start.
Three days later, North Macedonia will pay a visit to Old Trafford on matchday four, and Southgate named his 26-man squad for England's pair of matches on May 24.
Borussia Dortmund midfielder and soon-to-be Real Madrid man Bellingham made the cut as expected, having blossomed into a key player for both club and country at the age of just 19.
Meanwhile, Brighton & Hove Albion centre-back Dunk was called up for the first time in nearly five years, having made his only previous England appearance in a friendly against the USA in November 2018.
The 31-year-old forced his way back into the squad thanks to a stellar season in the heart of Roberto De Zerbi's backline, helping the Seagulls finish sixth in the Premier League table and qualifying for the Europa League in the process.
However, neither Bellingham nor Dunk will be strutting their stuff for the Three Lions this month, as England have now announced that both men have withdrawn from the squad due to injury.
Bellingham was unable to take part in Dortmund's final two Bundesliga games in the 2022-23 season due to a knee injury, making the bench against Mainz 05 on matchday 34 as BVB lost out to Bayern Munich in the title race in heartbreaking circumstances.
The Madrid-bound teenager is yet to fully recover from his affliction, but he has arrived at St George's Park to undergo rehabilitation with the England medical team, while Dunk has not reported for duty whatsoever.
The Brighton man also failed to come off the bench in the Seagulls' last two Premier League matches, and he revealed that a gruelling season had taken its toll on him, and he will spend the summer focusing on returning to full match fitness.
"I was proud to be recalled to the England squad. My first England cap remains one of the proudest moments of my career. I never gave up hope, and I hope that opportunity will come again," Dunk told brightonandhovealbion.com.
"I'm sorry it won't be this summer but at the end of the season, a few of us had to step up to achieve our aim of European football. A few of us were playing on adrenaline, pushing ourselves through games. I had a couple of injury issues, but our aim was to secure that top six place and create history.
"I spoke to Gareth Southgate at the end of the season, after we'd achieved that. I explained that I thought I might not be fit in time for the games against Malta and North Macedonia. I didn't want to mess him around for two important qualifiers for the country.
"He was excellent with me, told me to take as long as possible and give myself the best chance to be part of the squad. I'd like to thank him for that support, and wish the squad well for the two games."
Dunk and Bellingham's withdrawals add to a lengthy injury list for England, who are also missing Mason Mount, Nick Pope, Reece James, Ben Chilwell and Tammy Abraham for June's fixtures. body check tags ::
