England captain Wayne Rooney has withdrawn from the Three Lions squad and will return to Manchester United after picking up a minor knee injury.
TheFAconfirmed the news in a statement on their website, revealing Rooney hadn't been able to take part in a training session on Monday,and that the 31-year-oldwill be allowed to return to his club for further assessment.
After missing today's training session with a knee problem, @WayneRooney has withdrawn from the #ThreeLions squad: https://t.co/tWGx6xW3a1
"The striker sat out this morning's session at Tottenham Hotspur's training ground as a precaution due to a minor knee injury," the statement confirmed.
"However, with Gareth Southgate already set to rest his captain for the visit of Spain to Wembley Stadium tomorrow night, Rooney has been allowed to return to his club for further assessment."
Rooney started the recent World Cup qualifier against Scotland, but was unable to get on the scoresheet as goals from Daniel Sturridge, Adam Lallana and Gary Cahill gave England a comfortable 3-0 win over their old rivals.
Jordan Henderson is to captain England against Spain on Tuesday, after it was revealed earlier in the week that Rooney would start on the bench. The withdrawal leaves Gareth Southgate with even less options up front, after Harry Kane was released from the squad in order to continue his recovery from injury. The Tottenham striker returned to action in the north London derby earlier this month, scoring a penalty in a 1-1 draw at the Emirates.
With both Rooney and Kane ruled out, Liverpool's Daniel Sturridge could keep his place after scoring last Friday, while Leicester forward Jamie Vardy or Manchester United pace merchant Marcus Rashford could be picked to lead the line instead.