England may omit Sturridge but call up Spurs duo

Mark Holmes
Daniel Sturridge: Celebrates scoring for Liverpool against Aston Villa

Daniel Sturridge: Celebrates scoring for Liverpool against Aston Villa

England manager Roy Hodgson is reportedly set to leave Daniel Sturridge out of his squad for the Euro 2016 qualifiers later this month.

Hodgson, who will announce his squad for the games against Estonia and Lithuania later on Thursday, is likely to err on the side of caution with Sturridge, according to the Daily Telegraph, though that could change if any of the forwards named are injured in the Premier League this weekend.

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers said on Wednesday he “would expect” Sturridge to be chosen, but he will request that Sturridge plays in only one of the games if he is included.

When asked whether the striker was fit enough to play twice in four days, Rodgers said: “Not at the moment, no.

“The guys with England are intelligent enough and will understand, and I am sure at some point we will have a conversation before they meet up.

“I don’t necessarily speak so much with the international managers. When players go away I let them deal with it. They are highly-qualified professionals who work at that level.

“In Daniel’s case it is probably worth me noting to the FA where he is at in this period of his fitness.

“He is a player who is coming back (from injury) and Roy and his staff are intelligent enough to see that and I am sure him being in the squad will be managed accordingly.”

While Hodgson is apparently considering leaving out Sturridge, the likes of Swansea’s Jack Cork and Tottenham duo Eric Dier and Dele Alli are thought to be in contention for maiden call-ups.