Daniel Sturridge has suffered a 'devastating' injury blow after being ruled out for a month.
Liverpool striker Sturridge was sent home from England duty with a hip injury, and scans have revealed it is worse than first feared.
Sturridge
has suffered a torn hip muscle in Sunday's loss to Manchester United.
That means he could miss around four weeks - including Liverpool’s
crunch clash at Arsenal, rivals for a top four finish this season, on
Saturday week.
It leaves Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers with a major selection headache as Sturridge will miss much of the run-in.
Centre-back Martin Skrtel and captain Steven Gerrard have both been banned for three games each, while the skipper's fellow midfielders Raheem Sterling and Adam Lallana are also nursing injuries.
Liverpool have already been without Sturridge for five months this
season from the end of August because of back-to-back thigh and calf
injuries.
England boss Roy Hodgson said: “I’m a little bit
disappointed for Daniel Sturridge, because when he came to us he didn’t
really feel that the slight problem he felt was really any problem at
all.
“When we did the scan and it turned out that there was a
problem he was absolutely devastated, because he didn’t want to leave
us. There was no option because he has a slight tear and you can’t play
through that.”
Hodgson also confirmed England are likely to send Sterling home after Friday’s Euro 2016 qualifier against Lithuania. The 20-year-old winger is nursing a toe injury.
Manchester City midfielder James Milner is another in line to go back to his club and not make the light to Italy.
England
are likely to call up Southampton left-back Ryan Bertrand for the Turin
trip as Everton counterpart Leighton Baines is also nursing a knock.
Hodgson said: “There’s Raheem and James Milner, who has been playing for a long while with a knee problem.
"Both have done very well in training and they’ve been playing through it with their clubs.
Is this the end of Liverpool's top 4 hopes?
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