Danny Drinkwater has been making all sorts of headlines this week after appearing to snub the chance to play for England over the international break.

The Three Lions face Germany and Brazil over the next week as part of friendly games designed to help manager Gareth Southgate realise the talent he has in front of him when selecting the squad for the World Cup next year.

England are facing quite the injury crisis though, with seven stars pulling out of the upcoming games. But it’s Danny Drinkwater’s absence that has sparked the most controversy.

The 27-year-old has told Southgate that he does not feel fit enough to play for England in the following fixtures, despite it seeming like the perfect opportunity to get match fitness and game time – something he has had very little of so far this season.

Asked whether he would be going back to Drinkwater in the next break, Southgate said: “I’ve no idea. I can’t hypothesise over who I might be calling in March. I have no idea of how he feels or where he’s at physically.

“I would have thought so, but we might have other players back by then. I wanted to find out where he felt he was.

“He’s obviously only played 70 minutes for Chelsea in terms of starting and he felt he wasn’t ready yet to play this level.

“The physical demands at this level are incredibly high now, you’ve got to feel that you are in peak physical condition. It’s a conversation we have with the players all the time. If Danny didn’t feel he was ready for that I can understand given the amount of minutes he’s had.”
[Quotes via Sky Sports]