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Gerrard: Cahill absence another colossal blow

Gary Cahill was ruled out of the Euros on Sunday © Getty Images

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England captain Steven Gerrard admits he has been left fuming as bad luck has stripped England of some of their most important players ahead of Euro 2012.

Gary Cahill became the third key player to be ruled out of the summer tournament when he was diagnosed with a broken jaw on Sunday, joining midfielders Frank Lampard and Gareth Barry on the sidelines as Roy Hodgson has seen his options ravaged by injury.

Third-choice goalkeeper John Ruddy had earlier been ruled out after being included in the initial 23-man squad for the tournament in Poland and Ukraine, and Gerrard admits the bad luck has left him feeling exasperated.

The Liverpool midfielder feels the latest loss in particular is a "colossal" setback.

"Losing Gary is a massive blow. His performances in the last six months have been colossal for Chelsea," Gerrard said. "He was a colossus in the Champions League final win over Bayern Munich. We needed him.

"I am angry because we have lost some big players with a tournament eight or nine days away. "That's the blow and that's the price you pay for these warm-up games.

"To do well in these tournaments you have to have your big players and to lose Gary is another huge blow on the back of Frank Lampard and Gareth Barry."

Cahill picked up his injury after colliding with goalkeeper Joe Hart during Saturday's final warm-up friendly against Belgium at Wembley. Cahill was pushed into Hart by Belgium forward Dries Mertens, who apologised to the Chelsea defender after he was ruled out of the Euros.

Gerrard believes the Belgian should not be held responsible for Cahill's misfortune.

"I don't think you can blame the guy because he was itching to score a goal," he added. "Maybe he got carried away but I don't think you can put any blame on the kid."

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