Chelsea’s Drinkwater declined England call-up
Gareth Southgate has revealed that Chelsea midfielder Danny Drinkwater declined an England call-up because he did not feel he was fit enough.
Drinkwater, who was signed from Leicester during the summer, recently returned to action after a calf problem.
England boss Southgate wanted to include him in the squad for internationals against Germany and Brazil.
But Drinkwater, who did not make his Chelsea debut until late October and has made just four appearances for the Blues, told Southgate he was not ready for selection.
“I spoke to Danny earlier in the week but he feels he is not fit enough to play,” Southgate said.
Chelsea captain Gary Cahill is a doubt for the Germany game, having not trained on Thursday.
Chelsea’s Ruben Loftus-Cheek is set to make his England debut in Friday’s friendly at Wembley.
Meanwhile, Michy Batshuayi has returned to Chelsea for treatment after being ruled out of Belgium’s games against Mexico and Japan with a foot injury.
