London (AFP) – England manager Roy Hodgson has announced he will delay naming his England squad for the European Championship until Monday.
Hodgson was due to reveal his 23-man list for Euro 2016 at Wembley Stadium on Thursday, but he has decided to switch the announcement until May 16 following a meeting with the English FA and his coaching staff.
Hodgson will use the extra days to better assess the fitness of his players after the final round of Premier League matches this weekend, with questions still lingering over the availability of several players.
England are still sweating over the severity of Arsenal forward Danny Welbeck’s knee injury, while Jack Wilshere has played just 72 minutes this season following a lengthy absence.
Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson has only just returned to training after sustaining knee ligament damage in last month’s Europa League tie with Borussia Dortmund, but Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will miss the tournament after suffering a new knee injury.
England play Turkey in Manchester on May 22, then face Australia five days later at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light before taking on Portugal at Wembley on June 2 in their final pre-Euro 2016 friendly.
Hodgson’s side have been drawn alongside Russia, Wales and Slovakia in Group B in France.
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