Jamie Gittens has withdrawn from the England Under-21 squad. He suffered an ankle injury during Tuesday’s qualifier against Kazakhstan at Molineux. The Chelsea winger left the ground on crutches. He has returned to Stamford Bridge, where the Jamie Gittens injury will now be assessed by the club’s medical staff.
Jamie Gittens withdraws from England U21 squad after ankle blow
Gittens picked up the knock after a challenge during the second half of England’s win over Kazakhstan. He was withdrawn as a precaution. He did not take any further part in the match. England have been careful not to overstate the issue and no further reports have come out further.
The 21-year-old struggled to put weight on the affected ankle and was seen limping around Molineux after full time. That prompted an immediate release back to his club, rather than any attempt to assess him further in camp.
Lee Carsley confirms Gittens injury details and Chelsea return
England Under-21 boss Lee Carsley addressed the injury directly after the game. He confirmed the nature of the knock and the decision to send Gittens home.
“Jamie got a kick on his ankle,” Carsley said after the match. “We never take any risks. With the age of these players, we don’t ever keep them in camp to see how they are. He will go back.”
England’s statement on the squad changes, detailed in a report from Football.London, confirmed the wider fallout from the fixture.
“Mukasa’s call-up follows the withdrawal of Chelsea’s Jamie Gittens and Norwich City pair Kellen Fisher and Ben Chrisene through injury,” the statement read. West Ham midfielder Divine Mukasa has been called up as cover for all three.
Gittens’ role under Xabi Alonso and current Chelsea squad impact
Gittens has been an unused substitute in every Premier League fixture Chelsea have played this season, with his only two appearances under Xabi Alonso coming in the Carabao Cup. Those minutes have offered him little platform after his big summer move.
Alonso’s squad selection has been a talking point since he took charge. Our earlier look at Xabi Alonso’s squad choices at Stamford Bridge covered how competitive things have become. An ankle injury will not change his pecking order in the short term. It does, though, remove any chance of him pushing his case this week.
Chelsea’s break has brought other headlines too. Cole Palmer also withdrew, for entirely different reasons, after his recall by senior boss Thomas Tuchel to the full England squad. Chelsea will be watching both returns closely before domestic football resumes.
Next steps for Gittens as Chelsea await official medical prognosis
Chelsea have not yet issued a formal update on the severity of the injury. Any recovery timeline will depend on an assessment by the club’s medical team once Gittens is back at Cobham. Nothing beyond the crutches seen at Molineux has been confirmed.
Given his limited game time this season, the immediate concern is less about missed fixtures than a setback to his integration under Alonso. Fans can follow how the squad shapes up before the next fixtures through our recent line-up updates. Further news on Gittens is expected once Chelsea’s medical staff finish their evaluation.
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