England will be forced to implement a different attacking option for Monday's European qualifier against Switzerland after forward Daniel Sturridge was ruled out of the match with a thigh injury.
Sturridge, 25, suffered the injury during Friday's training session at St. George’s Park. He limped off the pitch to seek medical attention before going to a hospital to undergo a scan on the injured leg. The results of the scan were severe enough to warrant his absence from England's away fixture in Basel.
He has since traveled back to Liverpool, where his club's medical staff can further examine the injury. He could be out two to three weeks, according to The Guardian.
Sturridge has been a regular part of the English attacking scheme, but failed to get on the scoresheet during the team's underwhelming 1-0 win over a stubborn Norwegian side. Danny Welbeck is expected to slot into Sturridge's place, but it's not clear if manager Roy Hodgson will utilize the 4-4-2 system he used against Norway or if he will use Welbeck as a lone striker.
Sturridge, clearly upset with the prognosis, posted this emotional message on his Twitter account:
Heartbroken soul right now believe me. Hopefully be back soon fighting fit for LFC. Nothing worse than being injured. My heads gone...
— Daniel Sturridge (@D_Sturridge) September 5, 2014
