World Cup qualifiers: Injuries slim England squad

Daniel Sturridge is likely to be head England’s attack in the qualifiers

With the transfer window out of the way, it is time for the English fans to divert their mind to the all-important World Cup qualifiers. And the England manager Roy Hodgson has more than a few problems to confront with.

Experienced campaigners like Wayne Rooney and Glen Jhonson are missing out due to injuries sustained over the Premiership weekend. Because of this, England national team manager will be forced into fielding a young side against Moldova and Ukraine.

With Rooney out of contention for the two fixtures, the striker’s position will be most certainly taken up by the in-form Liverpool star Daniel Sturridge. Sturridge has had a great year at the domestic level, having found the back of the net 16 times in the last 20 appearances for the Liverpool. It will also be a great opportunity for him to make a mark at the international stage.

Backing up Sturridge will be the Southampton striker Rickie Lambert, who scored with his first touch in international football in the friendly victory over Scotland last month.

Also inducted into the side – at the back of consistent performances at the club level – are Ross Barkley and Andros Townsend, who have been given their first senior call-ups.

THE SQUAD:

Goalkeepers: Joe Hart (Manchester City), John Ruddy (Norwich City),Fraser Forster (Celtic)

Defenders: Leighton Baines (Everton), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Phil Jagielka (Everton), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Kyle Walker (Tottenham Hotspur), Phil Jones (Manchester United), Chris Smalling (Manchester United)

Midfielders: James Milner (Manchester City), Raheem Sterling (Liverpool), Andros Townsend (Tottenham Hotspur), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Jack Wilshere (Arsenal), Ross Barkley (Everton), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Tom Cleverley (Manchester United), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Frank Lampard (Chelsea)

Forwards: Jermain Defoe (Tottenham Hotspur), Rickie Lambert (Southampton), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool), Danny Welbeck (Manchester United), Ashley Young (Manchester United).