England will be forced to make do without the services of midfielder Frank Lampard for their forthcoming Euro 2012 qualifiers after Chelsea confirmed the midfielder will undergo surgery in midweek.
Fabio Capello’s men open their campaign against Bulgaria on Friday night at Wembley before heading to Switzerland the following Tuesday with the Italian set to name his squad on Sunday night.
Lampard started Chelsea’s 2-0 victory over Stoke City today, missing a first half penalty and was substituted in the second half with Saloman Kalou the man to replace him.
The club has subsequently confirmed to the BBC that Lampard will have hernia surgery in midweek and will therefore miss England’s next two matches, although they club haven’t revealed exactly how long the 32-year-old is expected to be out for.
However, manager Carlo Ancelotti told the club's official website: "He [Lampard] has a problem on his groin.
"He had the surgery ten years ago and this week was not very good. He also didn't feel well in the game.
"So the only solution is to have surgery this week, maybe he will do this Tuesday or Wednesday. It means he is not able to play for the national team.
"He'll be ready in one week or two weeks. We have experience because it is the same surgery as [Didier] Drogba and Drogba took one week before he was able to train.
"It is not a big problem. It is very easy surgery but he needs it because he started to feel pain."
The news will be a blow to manager Capello who is already under pressure to get the Three Lions off to a good start following their dismal showing at this summer’s World Cup.
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