Middlesbrough goalkeeper Jason Steele was expected to be on the bench for England Under-21s later this evening.
England are taking on Italy in a UEFA Under-21 European Championships Group A fixture at the Bloomfield Stadium, Tel Aviv (7.30pm).
Stoke City’s highly-rated Jack Butland was set to earn preference ahead of the Boro 22-year-old and start the game.
Manager Stuart Pearce is already without both Danny Rose and Thomas Ince (suspension) after the pair were banned in the fallout from the qualification play-off tie with Serbia in October. But Wilfried Zaha (ankle) should be available.
Hosts Israel and Norway are the other two teams in the group.
Share this article
