Lallana ‘inconsolable’ as injury forces him out

ADAM LALLANA has suffered more England heartache after his return to the squad lasted less than 24 hours. The Liverpool midfielder missed the World Cup after an injuryravaged season but head coach Gareth Southgate wasted no time selecting him after he came through a rigorous summer regime without any problems. Lallana reported for duty at 5.30pm on Monday but by 3.30pm yesterday he was heading back to Liverpool to have scans on a groin injury that forced him to pull out of training Sterling withdraw on Sunday with a back problem, is that England captain Harry Kane is suffering with a heavy cold and only took a small part in yesterday’s training session. Southgate has not made a decision about whether to call up attacking reinforcements. But he has added Fulham goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli to the squad. Southgate said: ‘We felt it useful to bring another goalkeeper in for training. ‘Marcus is another player we have worked with in the Under 21s in the past.’

at St George’s Park. It is understood Lallana (below) consulted England’s medical team and complained of tightness. He walked back to the dressing room and within two hours had left the camp. Though the injury is not something that is likely to keep him out for months, the timing of it could not be worse and he was said to be inconsolable. He has played only four minutes in the Premier League this season and was desperate to play against Spain and Switzerland. ‘He has picked up a muscular injury,’ said Southgate. ‘It is the worst thing as far as we are concerned because you never want to send players back injured. Adam is a player we think so much of. He is having a difficult run. I’m really disappointed for him because he has had such a tough year.’ A further worry for Southgate, who saw Raheem