Michail Antonio pulls out of England squad

By Matt Law, Football Editor | 20 March 2017

A hamstring injury forces West Ham United attacker Michail Antonio to withdraw from the England squad for the upcoming matches against Germany and Lithuania.

West Ham United attacker Michail Antonio has been forced to withdraw from the England squad for the upcoming matches against Germany and Lithuania.

The 26-year-old, who has scored nine Premier League goals this season, picked up a hamstring problem during his team's 3-2 defeat at home to Leicester City on Saturday afternoon.

A statement on West Ham's official website has revealed that the former Nottingham Forest winger has been forced to withdraw, although it is currently unclear whether England boss Gareth Southgate will call up a replacement.

"Michail Antonio has been withdrawn from England's squad for their games against Germany and Lithuania next week after picking up a hamstring injury in Saturday's 3-2 loss against Leicester City," read a West Ham statement.

"Antonio was withdrawn from the squad after being assessed by both the Hammers' and the England medical teams and will remain at Rush Green during the international break."

Antonio's first international call-up came under former Three Lions boss Sam Allardyce last August, but the attacker did not feature in the 2018 World Cup qualification match against Slovakia.