Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has defended striker Daniel Sturridge over his England withdrawal. Sturridge has come under-fire on Twitter over his non-appearnce for the national team.

"He was obviously disappointed to miss out on the England games. He wanted to play for England and I felt sorry for him," said Rodgers.

"The medical experts made the decision, not Daniel Sturridge.

"He left the Manchester United game (on September 1) injured and went away and the medical staff at England deemed him not quite fit enough for the first game and they were perfectly happy he was not going to play.

"He returned and there was a slight improvement but Roy (Hodgson) and his staff have to make a decision if he's going to be available (for the second match in Ukraine) and at that stage he wasn't.

"But by the time we play on Monday it will be nearly two weeks and for a grade one strain, experts who know better than I do say it is perfectly reasonable to be back playing in that timescale.

"But he should not be held up, if he does play on Monday, as being someone who has turned down his country because that is not the case at all."