John Stones is emerging as a worry for England’s Euros opener - just 24 hours after being given the all-clear.
England defender Stones was forced to sit out training on Wednesday through illness and could not take part in any of the defensive drills ahead of their clash with Serbia.
It is understood that Stones is suffering with a sickness bug and as per the Football Association's protocols, he has been confined to his bedroom to reduce the risk of it spreading.
Stones had been substituted at half time of England’s final warm-up friendly with Iceland last Friday after an injury scare. But Stones then took part in England’s first training session on Tuesday only for it to later emerge that he had been feeling unwell even then.
England boss Gareth Southgate put the defence through their paces on Wednesday as they prepare for the physical threat of Serbia’s former Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic.
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That meant Stones was not a part of that session and now England will have to wait to see if he can recover in time to train on Thursday. It would be a major worry for England if Stones missed another day of training because he could not prepare with the rest of the team in shape.
England are already missing key defenders with Harry Maguire not fit enough to make the squad while Luke Shaw is not ready for the first game either.
John Stones is a doubt for England's Euro 2024 openerIn attack, there had been question marks over the fitness of Arsenal star Bukayo Saka, but he has now trained two days in a row and looks primed to start on the right-hand side of their attack.
Southgate will have been hoping for a stress-free build up to what he admits could be his final major tournament in charge. His current deal expires at the end of the year and he admitted that failure in Germany could see him leave his post.
He told Bild: "If we don't win [the Euros], I probably won't be here anymore. Then it might be the last chance.
Gareth Southgate could be heading into his final tournament as England boss (The FA via Getty Images)"I think about half of the national coaches leave after a tournament -- that's the nature of international football. I've been here for almost eight years now and we've come close.
"So I know that you can't keep standing in front of the public and saying: 'Please do a little more,' because at some point people will lose faith in your message.
"If we want to be a big team and I want to be a top coach, then you have to deliver in the big moments."
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