Ryan Bertrand withdraws from England squad due to back injury

Ryan Bertrand has withdrawn from the England squad for the upcoming friendlies with the Netherlands and Italy due to a back injury.

The Southampton left-back has 19 caps for the Three Lions and started five of the nation's past six World Cup qualifiers.

Bertrand's withdrawal leaves Tottenham Hotspur's Danny Rose and Manchester United's Ashley Young as the two left-backs in England's squad.

An FA statement confirmed: "There's been an update to the Three Lions squad, with Ryan Bertrand returning to Southampton for further assessment on a back issue.

"Bertrand's withdrawal is a precautionary measure, but he won't play in this month's matches."

Bertrand played 90 minutes in Southampton's 2-0 win over Wigan Athletic in Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final at the DW Stadium.