Sturridge, Lalla withdraw from England squad

London, March 24: Daniel Sturridge and Adam Lalla have withdrawn from the England squad for the forthcoming matches against Lithuania and Italy, the Football Association (FA) confirmed on Tuesday.

Sturridge was forced to return Liverpool after scans showed the striker wouldn’t be fit to feature in Friday’s Euro 2016 qualifier against Lithuania at Wembley and next week’s friendly against Italy in Turin.

The 25-year-old was reported to have sustained a hip problem during Liverpool’s 1-2 defeat against Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday.

Sturridge’s absence could mean a first cap for in-form Tottenham Hotspurs striker Harry Kane, who took his goal tally for the season to 29 with a hat-trick against Leicester on Saturday.

Liverpool midfielder Lalla also withdrew from the squad after suffering a groin injury against United that forced him to come off at half-time. Lalla was replaced by Tottenham’s emerging midfielder Ryan Mason, who was called up for the first time. IANS