Jack Butland Breaks Finger in Training; Out of England Squad with Injury

Stoke City goalkeeper Jack Butland is the latest player to pull out of the England squad for the team's upcoming friendly matches, as he suffered a broken finger on Thursday in training. 

News the stopper will miss the matches with Germany on Friday and Brazil on Tuesday came via the team's official Twitter account:

"The goalkeeper has now returned to Stoke City to be assessed by his club's medical staff," read part of a statement on the Football Association website.

The man himself posted the following on Twitter bemoaning his recent poor fortune with injuries:

Indeed, Butland suffered a malleolar problem in March 2016 that saw him sidelined for more than a year. He made his return to the Stoke side in April and has played in all 11 of the Potters’ Premier League matches this season.

Given his encouraging recent form, there have been calls for Butland to usurp Joe Hart as the first-choice goalkeeper for the Three Lions, though this problem means the Stoke man will not get a chance to impress.

According to Matt Law of the Daily Telegraph, the 24-year-old was set to start Friday’s match against Germany at Wembley too:

It’s been reported by Sky Sports News that Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford will make his senior England debut in place of Butland.

For manager Gareth Southgate, this latest withdrawal will add to recent frustration, with a string of players now missing for these two glamour encounters. Already Raheem Sterling, Fabian Delph, Dele Alli, Harry Winks, Harry Kane and Jordan Henderson have withdrawn from the squad due to injury issues. 

Southgate also confirmed he sought to call up Chelsea midfielder Danny Drinkwater, though he declined the invitation because he didn’t feel as though he was fit enough to be involved, per BBC Sport.

Stoke supporters will be hopeful Butland can make a swift recovery from this injury with the team languishing down in 14th in the Premier League table. Their first match after the international break is a trip to an in-form Brighton & Hove Albion.