John Stones was quarantined in his bedroom on Wednesday with a sickness bug that has put his participation in England’s Euro 2024 opener against Serbia at risk.
Central defender Stones missed training at England’s Blankenheim base and was kept away from his team-mates in a bid to stop the illness spreading through manager Gareth Southgate’s camp.
Asked about Stones, England midfielder Adam Wharton said: “I’ve not seen him today, I’ve just been told he’s ill and I think he’s just been in his room.”
That was later backed up by goalkeeper Dean Henderson, who told Sky Sports that Stones had quarantined in his bedroom with a sickness bug.
The FA did not confirm the nature of Stones’ illness with the rest of England’s squad also kept in the dark over the likelihood of him being ready to train on Thursday.
Stones was forced off with an ankle injury at half-time in the warm-up defeat to Iceland and started only one Premier League game in the final three months of the season.
The 30-year-old is one of a number of fitness issues facing Southgate and Stones had hoped to train all of this week in Germany in an attempt to be ready for the Serbia game.
Stones had trained with the England squad on Tuesday before complaining of feeling unwell and having to miss Wednesday’s session and remain in his room at the team hotel.
Losing Stones, even just for one game, would be a blow for Southgate, who is already without injured Harry Maguire at the Euros and having to nurse left-back Luke Shaw back to fitness.
Stones is the only central defender in Southgate’s 26-man squad with any major tournament experience and Lewis Dunk would compete with Ezri Konsa to stand in for Stones and partner Marc Guehi in the centre of defence.