England suffered a further injury setback yesterday when striker Peter Crouch withdrew from the squad for Friday's Wembley Euro 2012 qualifier against Bulgaria with a back problem.
Crouch, who scored a hat-trick for Tottenham Hotspur against Young Boys in a Champions League qualifier last week, has returned to his club for treatment, the FA announced on its website.
It is not yet clear whether the big forward could still be involved in next Tuesday's qualifier away to Switzerland. Manager Fabio Capello is already without Chelsea duo John Terry and Frank Lampard and Manchester United centre back Rio Ferdinand.
Everton centre back Phil Jagielka is struggling with an ankle injury and back-up goalkeepers Ben Foster and Scott Carson did not train yesterday.
Capello took the precaution of naming an additional striker in his 24-man squad for the matches, so when it was confirmed that Crouch had returned to Spurs for treatment, there was no requirement for a replacement to be drafted in. Bobby Zamora was ruled out prior to the squad being announced, leaving Capello to choose from Wayne Rooney, Carlton Cole, Darren Bent and Jermain Defoe, who has recovered from a groin complaint.
Agencies
Thursday, September 2, 2010
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