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With Brendan Rodgers revealing that Daniel Sturridge had played the first games of the 2013-14 campaign well short of full fitness and the player being held out of training with the national team, it always seemed doubtful he would face Moldova.
Today, the FA have confirmed that Sturridge will indeed miss Friday's World Cup qualifier due to the lingering thigh injury that has hindered him ever since he suffered it while on England duty shortly after the end of last season.
"As Roy Hodgson prepares his England team to face Moldova on Friday evening," began the statement released on the FA's website, "Daniel Sturridge has returned to Liverpool for further treatment.
"The squad departed St. George's Park on Thursday afternoon ahead of the World Cup qualifier at Wembley, but the Liverpool forward will return to his club with the intention of joining the England squad again at the weekend and travelling to Ukraine."
Given it was a meaningless friendly against Ireland back in May that Sturridge had been questionable to play in at the time that caused the initial injury, Liverpool fans will be thinking Roy Hodgson and the England national team are getting just what they deserve by missing out on Sturridge now.
They'll also be hoping Hodgson doesn't include a clearly less than fit Sturridge on Tuesday against Ukraine, though against a side one point behind them in the Group H standings the England manager will certainly feel far more pressure to do so than agaisnt Moldova.