I’M READY, ROY
Sturridge declares himself fit on Euros D-Day
DANIEL STURRIDGE left his England colleagues convinced he is ready to go to this summer’s European Championship after taking a full part in training yesterday.
Manager Roy Hodgson will make all 25 players work again today before making a final decision on who will be the two unfortunate members of the squad who will not go to France.
He must submit his 23 names to UEFA by 11pm and it is looking increasingly likely that list will include both Liverpool striker Sturridge and Manchester United’s 18-year- old sensation Marcus Rashford.
But the players were left guessing last night, with Hodgson insisting on unprecedented levels of secrecy. It is not clear whether he will break the bad news after the morning session at Watford’s training ground or back at the team’s base at the nearby Grove Hotel.
Sturridge had to sit out the 2-1 victory over Australia on Friday because of a calf injury. But it is understood the medical staff with both England and Liverpool have given him the green light.
It leaves Everton’s Ross Barkley and Leicester’s Danny Drinkwater as the players most in danger of missing out, with Andros Townsend of Newcastle also under threat.
Stepping back on to the england training pitch near Watford yesterday, Daniel Sturridge caught sight of a smiling Wayne Rooney and a confident Marcus Rashford.
the Liverpool striker was not at his most lethal in front of goal, but he was not being judged on hitting the back of the net. not yesterday, anyway.
At times, he looked tentative during the warm-up — the first time he has trained fully with his team-mates since joining up last Monday. He appeared to ensure he kept stretching his problematic calf at regular intervals.
But after the warm- up Sturridge joined in a ball-work session with the attackers and midfielders and looked to be moving much more freely during the opening drills, providing england manager Roy Hodgson with a boost before today’s big decision. Can he trust Sturridge’s body for the finals in France when he names his final 23?
Hodgson will make all 25 squad players take part in training again today before telling two unfortunate members of the group that their names will not be among the 23 he submits before this evening’s UeFA dead-ead line. But Sturridge certainly appeared to end any fears over his fitness.
Judging by Hodgson’s apparent frustration with Ross Barkley and the loss of form he suffered towards the end of the season, england’s players actually think the 22- year- old everton midfielder is in danger of missing out, subject to Sturridge feeling no reaction today.
And with both Jack Wilshere and Jordan Henderson having proved their fitness, it probably means there will be no seat on the plane to France for Leicester’s Danny Drinkwater.
James Milner, eric Dier and Dele Alli can also play in central midfield and Hodgson is keen to add a more penetrative slant to his midfield options which leaves Drinkwater facing heartache.
the other player facing an anxious wait is Andros townsend. given he has played only 14 minutes since reporting for international duty, he is understood to be fearing the worst.
However, the newcastle man has his admirers in the england camp. gary neville, for one, believes the former tottenham winger can provide an attacking impact from the bench. But the players were left guessing last night, with Hodgson insisting on unprecedented levels of secrecy before announcing his final selection decision later today.
england have not seen the media since Friday’s friendly against Australia at Sunderland but were due to provide four players for interview at the team hotel yesterday afternoon.
However, a decision was made on Sunday night to cancel the press conferences, with the media allowed to attend only the first 15 minutes of yesterday’s training session.
that was enough to watch Sturridge, who missed the opening warm-up game against turkey because of club commitments with Liverpool and then had to sit out the Australia game because of a calf injury that required a scan at Manchester City’s training ground last week.
it is understood the scan revealed that scar tissue from an old injury was the cause of discomfort being endured by 26-year-old Sturridge.
Both the england and Liverpool medical staff are happy for Sturridge to train and sources at Anfield certainly believe he will now be heading across the english Channel for euro 2016.
if he is selected then it is likely he will be joined by Rashford, the Manchester United teenager who yesterday celebrated a new £ 25,000- a- week contract at Old trafford.
One man who did not train yesterday was Southampton left back Ryan Bertrand, who received treatment on a knock. the defender, though, is not thought to be in any danger of missing out on euro 2016.
intriguingly, Dier joined in a defensive session, led by neville, which may suggest that Wilshere — who was first out on the training pitch with captain Rooney — is winning the race to fill the deep-lying midfield role.