Injured Vardy pulls out of squad as Scot Russell coaches strikers

Jamie Vardy has withdrawn from the England squad to face Scotland and France through injury.

Gareth Southgate’s men travel to Hampden Park for a crunch Group F clash on Saturday, before heading to Paris for a season-ending friendly.

Vardy, pictured, has been ruled out of both matches after the Leicester striker sustained a minor injury in training on Tuesday.

A short statement from the Football Association read: “Jamie Vardy has left the England squad as a precaution after picking up a minor injury in training at St George’s Park yesterday.

“The Leicester City striker won’t play a part in either Saturday’s World Cup qualifier in Scotland or Tuesday’s trip to France.

“No further players are due to be added to the squad at this moment in time.”

Vardy is the second player to withdraw from the squad after Liverpool right-back Nathaniel Clyne pulled out with a back injury at the end of May.

The striker endured a topsy-turvy season at Leicester, kicking on under former

England coach Craig Shakespeare to end the season with 16 goals in all competitions.

Vardy was also on the scoresheet in England’s last match, wrapping up a 2-0 win against Lithuania shortly after coming on in March’s World Cup qualifier.

Marcus Rashford, Jermain Defoe and Harry Kane are among the strikers this time around, with all-time top scorer Wayne Rooney overlooked.

Vardy and the other England frontmen were given some fine-tuning this week by Scots coach Allan Russell.

Southgate has turned to the ex-hamilton, Airdrie and Kilmarnock forward as final preparations for the match got under way.

He workedwith the attackers at St George’s Park on Tuesday in his role as a specialist coach. The 36-year-old describes himself as the “world’s number one striker specific coach” on his website and isbeing used by the Football Association on an ad hoc basis. Russell works across the age groups, coaching both men’s and women’s teams, in his role as a consultant for England.

The former striker was also involved in March, when Southgate’s permanent reign started with a promising display in the 1-0 friendly loss to Germany before a straightforward 2-0 win against Lithuania at Wembley.

Russell played for Hamilton and St Mirren, before moving south of the Border to join Macclesfield in 2005.

Moves to Mansfield and Forest Green followed before a return to Scotland, playing for Partick, Airdrie and Kilmarnock prior to a period playing in the United States.

Russell lists Burnley’s Andre Gray and Stoke striker Saido Berahino among his clients, along with Portugal’s Euro 2016 final match-winner Eder.