Roy Hodgson has insisted that he had little choice but to leave Wayne Rooney out of England's penultimate Euro 2016 qualifier.
The Three Lions skipper has been ruled out of Friday night's meeting with Estonia, while he is also a major doubt for the trip to Lithuania three days later.
Rooney picked up a knock while playing for club side Manchester United in their heavy defeat at Arsenal last weekend, but Hodgson says that his priority at this stage is getting his talismanic striker back up and running in the long run.
"It is a disappointment for Wayne of course," the England boss told reporters. "He is not the type of player who likes to miss games. He received a knock playing against Arsenal, the ankle is settling down very well but we don't want to risk him tomorrow.
"He has a lot of Man Utd games ahead and I would be devastated if something happened out there. The important thing now is for Wayne to fully recover from this minor injury and be fully fit the next time Manchester United play."
Chelsea defender Gary Cahill will wear the captain's armband in Rooney's absence, with Hodgson adding: "The injury is disappointing for us and for Wayne but good for Gary Cahill to have the chance to captain the team.
"Wayne has been very keen to be with us and I'm sure he's looking forward to tomorrow night when Sir Bobby Charlton presents him with a golden boot."
England have already secured their place in next summer's Euro finals after winning all eight of their qualifiers to date.
Daniel Lewis
