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By PA and AP Published: 22: 28 AEST, 5 September 2025 | Updated: 22: 28 AEST, 5 September 2025 23 View comments Thomas Tuchel has confirmed defender John Stones has withdrawn from the England squad through injury. The 31-year-old was selected for this month's World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia. Stones has not added to his 83 caps since last October and his first camp under Tuchel has come to a premature end. The England boss said: 'Unfortunately, John Stones just left. He came with minor issues, muscular issues, to camp and didn't progress as we thought and hoped he would. 'So, he left camp this morning (Friday) because we will not take the risk. Everyone else is available. ' John Stones, pictured at the England camp this week, will miss this week's internationals Tuchel confirmed captain Harry Kane will lead the line for England as he names a strong line-up for the qualifier against Andorra. Tuchel likened the challenge of breaking down Andorra to 'chewing gum' and wants England to show 'more enthusiasm' than they did against the minnows in June's narrow win. The road to next summer's World Cup continues with Saturday's Villa Park clash against the 174th-ranked side before attention turns to Tuesday's tough-looking trip to Serbia. It would be an almighty shock if England head to Belgrade on the back of anything other than a victory considering Andorra have lost all seven of the nations' previous meetings without so much as scoring a goal. But the microstate made life hard for Tuchel's side in June, when the candid coach said his team 'played with fire' due to their lack of 'seriousness and urgency' in a stuttering 1-0 win. Thomas Tuchel says he hoped Stones would 'progress' but it has not played out as planned 'I didn't like, it's also down to me, ' the England boss said as he reflected on a night in Barcelona where his side were booed. 'The structure was not ideal to speed the game up. 'We made it a bit too easy for Andorra to find the moments to close us down and to find the right moments to slow our game down. 'We tried already to give some new solutions to the players, to break down the block a bit easier, to be more aggressive. 'But we always have to balance our expectations because Andorra is a well-drilled team. I know it sounds maybe silly, but it is like this. '
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