Three Lions call up Gibbs, while Baines will replace the Blues full back.
Check in to England vs Montenegro
England head coach Roy Hodgson has already suffered a huge blow ahead of Friday night’s crucial Fifa World Cup Group H qualifier against Montenegro at Wembley Stadium after experienced Chelsea defender Ashley Cole was ruled out of the clash through injury, according to reports in the Daily Mail.
The England international, who has been capped on 105 occasions by the Three Lions since making his international debut in a World Cup qualifier against Albania in March 2001, suffered a recurrence of a long-standing rib injury playing for the west London club against Norwich City in the Premier League at Carrow Road on Sunday afternoon.
And despite Cole’s manager Jose Mourinho saying after the Blues’ 3-1 win in east Anglia that he expected Cole to have recovered in time to feature against Montenegro on Friday, the 32-year-old was ruled out of the qualifier by England’s medical staff on Monday.
However, the left back has now been sent back to his club where he will undergo intensive treatment on the injury in the hope that Cole may be fit in time to take his place in defence against Poland in England’s final qualifier at Wembley next Tuesday.
As a result, Hodgson has now opted to call up young Arsenal left-back Kieran Gibbs to act as cover for Everton’s Leighton Baines, who will start Friday’s international against Montenegro in Cole’s place.