Which Premier League players have withdrawn through injury this international break?

The final international window before this summer’s World Cup finals has been hit by a spate of injury-enforced withdrawals among Premier League call-ups, leaving several nations to fine-tune their plans without key personnel.

Arsenal defenders Gabriel and Manchester United forward Benjamin Sesko headline the list of players forced to return to their clubs after being ruled out, while a total of ten Arsenal squad members have now withdrawn from national-team duty as Mikel Arteta’s side negotiate a three-pronged chase for the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.

Crystal Palace winger Eberechi Eze is expected to be sidelined for at least a month with a calf problem, while team-mate Noni Madueke left England’s friendly against Uruguay at Wembley on Friday wearing a protective brace on his left leg. Fellow England hopeful Adam Wharton also picked up a knock after appearing as a substitute in the same match, according to Palace officials.

Burnley’s Hannibal Mejbri has returned to Lancashire after sustaining a hamstring injury during the Clarets’ 3-1 defeat at Fulham, and France Under-21 attacker Mathys Tel will not link up with his age-group squad after being forced off in the 67th minute of Tottenham’s recent Premier League loss to Nottingham Forest.

Senegal pair Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gueye remained with their national team for a celebratory fixture in Paris—held despite the Lions of Teranga being officially stripped of the contested Africa Cup of Nations trophy—before a 2-0 friendly win over Peru at the Stade de France. In contrast, Sweden striker Viktor Gyokeres bucked the withdrawal trend, staying with his country and firing a hat-trick in Thursday’s 3-1 play-off victory over Ukraine that sets up a decisive clash with Robert Lewandowski’s Poland on Tuesday.

With the Premier League season due to conclude on 24 May and European club competitions at the quarter-final stage, the timing of the injuries is far from ideal for both players and managers. While Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko are said to have avoided serious damage, neither Cameroon nor Slovenia qualified for the expanded World Cup, lessening the immediate impact of their absences.

For those nations still dreaming of a late ticket to the United States, Canada and Mexico, the next week represents a final audition; for the injured, rehabilitation rooms have become the priority as the countdown to club football’s decisive stretch continues.