Baines withdraws from England squad with hamstring injury

Everton defender Leighton Baines has been forced to withdraw from the England squad ahead of their European Championships qualifier against Wales at Wembley tomorrow evening.

Everton’s reigning player of the season picked up the injury in training although the BBC’s chief football writer Phil McNulty stressed that it wasn’t ‘serious’. Henry Winter hinted that Baines ‘did his hamstring’ via the same platform.

The fact that Baines has been forced to withdraw will leave David Moyes sweating over his fitness ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash with Aston Villa at Goodison Park.

Leighton Baines is, without question, the last player Everton can afford to have on the sidelines at the moment.