England trio set to miss Brazil friendly
Reuters - Sunday 03 February 2013, 19:45
Jermain Defoe, Daniel Sturridge and Michael Carrick are all set to miss England's friendly with Brazil on Wednesday because of injuries.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Andre Villas-Boas told reporters that striker Defoe could be out for two to three weeks with an ankle problem sustained in a 1-0 win at West Bromwich Albion on Sunday.
Liverpool forward Daniel Sturridge also hurt his thigh after scoring in a 2-2 draw at Manchester City.
"Daniel has a dead thigh. I think he will struggle to make the friendly against Brazil," Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers told the BBC.
In the absence of Defoe and Sturridge, England boss Roy Hodgson would have just Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck from the original squad to call on as out-and-out strikers although Theo Walcott was also named.
Media reports also said Rooney and Welbeck's Manchester United team-mate Carrick would miss the Wembley fixture with an unspecified injury.