Jamie Gittens withdraws from England U21s with ankle injury

Chelsea winger Jamie Gittens has withdrawn from the England Under-21s squad due to an ankle injury. The injury occurred during Friday night’s 4-2 Euro Under-21 qualifying victory over Kazakhstan, when Gittens was forced off the pitch in the 39th minute.

England Under-21 head coach Lee Carsley confirmed that Gittens sustained a kick to his ankle and would return to Cobham for medical assessment. The Football Association confirmed on Monday that Gittens, along with Norwich City players Kellen Fisher and Ben Chrisene, have officially withdrawn from the squad. Divine Mukasa, a West Ham forward on loan from Manchester City, has been called up as a replacement.

Chelsea medical staff are currently assessing the extent of the damage to determine a recovery timeline. The injury comes at a difficult time for Gittens, who has seen limited playing time this season, appearing only in Carabao Cup matches against Luton and Leeds.