The 24-year-old has returned to Stoke City and will be assessed by club doctors.
Stoke City and England goalkeeper Jack Butland (Photo: AFP)
England’s preparations for a high-profile clash with Germany were dealt a serious blow as goalkeeper Jack Butland fractured his finger in a training session and had to withdraw from the squad as a result.
“Jack Butland has withdrawn from the England squad after breaking a finger in training on Thursday,” a statement on the FA’s official website read.
“The goalkeeper has now returned to Stoke City to be assessed by his club’s medical staff. There will be no further additions to the squad at this moment in time, with Gareth Southgate set to assess his options after Friday’s fixture against Germany at Wembley Stadium,” the FA added.
Advertisement
After Joe Hart has dominated the goalkeeping scene for England for the past few years, Butland’s rise to prominence at Stoke had threatened to unseat the veteran custodian from the Three Lions’ No.1 spot.
Most fans and plenty of pundits had called for Southgate to select Butland as England’s first-choice goalkeeper with the World Cup less than a year away but the manager has to make a definitive decision.
Despite Stoke shifting to an expansive style of play under Mark Hughes and subsequently conceding a higher number of goals than the used to in the past, Butland’s shot-stopping had drawn praise from all quarters.
The 24-year-old, who suffered a fractured ankle while on England duty in 2015, has now left Hart and Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford to battle it out for a starting spot when they take on the reigning World Cup champions on Friday night.
England have seen a spate of withdrawals in the past few days, with Tottenham Hotspur duo of Harry Kane and Dele Alli among the big names who are missing from the Three Lions squad that take on Germany and Brazil in the final international break of the year.
Butland is now a major doubt for Stoke’s trip to Brighton on November 20 as he is expected to miss a period of two weeks. The Potters are likely to release a statement soon with a definitive return date for their injured custodian.
Advertisement
