Manchester United goalkeeper Dean Henderson has withdrawn from England’s Euro 2020 squad as a result of a hip injury and will be replaced by Sheffield United stopper Aaron Ramsdale.
The hip problem would continue to limit Henderson’s ability to train throughout the rest of the tournament so the decision has been made for him to pull out altogether.
Although squads are made final before the tournament kicks off, UEFA rules permit goalkeepers to be replaced on medical grounds at any stage of the competition.
Ramsdale was previously named in the provisional 33-man England squad chosen by Gareth Southgate and will now follow standard Covid-19 testing protocol before entering the camp.
The uncapped 23-year-old will link up with the squad in time for England’s next Group D game against Scotland on Friday. He will take a place on the bench alongside Sam Johnstone, with the latter now likely to be first alternative should anything happen to starter Jordan Pickford.
Ramsdale has already represented England at tournament level this year, playing in the group stage of the Under-21 European Championship in March. He also previously won the Under-19 European Championship with the junior lions in 2017.
Henderson, meanwhile, will return to Manchester to be assessed by United staff and begin rehabilitation and recovery ahead of an important pre-season for the 24-year-old.
He made a string of appearances for Man Utd towards the end of the 2020/21 season, bringing his total last campaign to 26.
There was speculation that he could replace Pickford between the sticks for England, particularly after Nick Pope was also ruled out of Euro 2020 through injury, but the Everton stopper's position has remained safe, and he played well in the Three Lions' win over Croatia on Sunday.
For more from Jamie Spencer, follow him on Twitter and Facebook!
Source : 90min