Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard has been ruled out of tomorrow’s Charity Shield encounter with Manchester United after breaking down in training with a sore ankle this morning.
The injury-prone 21-year-old will also miss England's friendly against the Netherlands on Wednesday.
"Steven got a knock in training today, it's not the same injury as the last one," a Football Association (FA) spokeswoman told Reuters.
"It's the same ankle but not the same injury. It's not a serious one but Liverpool informed us as soon as it happened and unfortunately he's had to pull out."
Gerrard's fledgling career has been blighted by a series of injuries and he has been forced to withdraw from England squads on several occasions in the past.
England coach Sven Goran Eriksson will now be hoping the midfielder will be ready for England's important World Cup qualifier against Germany in Munich on September 1.
Gerrard's absence opens the way for Bayern Munich midfielder Owen Hargreaves to make his senior England debut against the Dutch at White Hart Lane on Wednesday. -Reuters