Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain pulls out of England squad for Italy friendly


Arsenal winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has become the latest player to pull out of the England squad for Wednesday's friendly against Italy.
The 18-year-old withdrew with an ankle injury on Monday, a day after Joe Hart and Daniel Sturridge were ruled out.
England boss Roy Hodgson has called up Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott into the squad as cover.
Meanwhile, Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli is out of the Italy squad because of an eye infection.
England held their first training session since Euro 2012 at Arsenal's London Colney complex on Monday.
Keeper Hart has a back injury which forced him to miss City's 3-2 Community Shield win over Chelsea.
Goalkeepers Jack Butland and John Ruddy are likely to make their England debuts, with the possibility that they will play 45 minutes each.
Butland was Great Britain's keeper at London 2012, while Ruddy was picked for Euro 2012 but had to withdraw after suffering a broken finger.
The 19-year-old Birmingham City goalkeeper admitted the chance to play for England would be the fulfilment of a childhood ambition.
"It's what dreams are made of. Unfortunately it's come, or hopefully will come, due to an injury which is unfortunate for Joe but if I get the chance it
will be a dream come true," Butland said. "It's something I can't stop thinking about and I'd love the chance to be able to perform on that stage on Wednesday night.
"I think it's very important, I'm not going to try and put too much pressure on myself or expect anything because there's not a lot of goalkeepers who get the chance at such a young age so I'm very privileged to be in this position.
"I'm going to take everything in my stride. If it doesn't happen on Wednesday I'm going to work harder to make it happen on a different occasion."
Butland, who was part of England's Euro 2012 Squad in Poland and Ukraine, also believes the experience of playing for Team GB at the Olympics will prove
invaluable as he continues his development. "It was fantastic for everyone involved. I feel very proud and privileged that I was given a chance to be able to perform and be a part of something bigger than just football.
"You were given the chance to mix with other athletes, it was a very good experience to see how all the other sports do it and just get a feel for theOlympics. It's something I won't forget."
Goalkeepers: Jack Butland (Birmingham City), John Ruddy (Norwich City).
Defenders: Leighton Baines (Everton), Ryan Bertrand (Chelsea), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Steven Caulker (Tottenham Hotspur), Phil Jagielka (Everton), Kyle Walker (Tottenham Hotspur).
Midfielders: Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Tom Cleverley (Manchester United), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Adam Johnson (Manchester City), Jake Livermore (Tottenham Hotspur), James Milner (Manchester City), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Jack Rodwell (Manchester City), Ashley Young (Manchester United).
Forwards: Andy Carroll (Liverpool), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham Hotspur), Theo Walcott (Arsenal).

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