• International football

Rooney & Walcott among five England withdrawals

ESPN staff
November 11, 2012
Wayne Rooney picked up an injury against Aston Villa © PA Photos
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Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney and Arsenal forward Theo Walcott are among five players who have withdrawn from England's forthcoming friendly against Sweden.

Jonjo Shelvey, Kyle Walker and Aaron Lennon have also been forced to withdraw from Wednesday's match due to a variety of injury complaints, restricting manager Roy Hodgson's options somewhat.

To cover the various absences, Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha, Arsenal full-back Carl Jenkinson and Tottenham midfielder Tom Huddlestone have been called up.

The FA confirmed that Hodgson also tried to add Jermain Defoe and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to his squad for the game - but he was informed by their respective clubs that neither player was fit enough to travel.

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