Lampard ruled out of England match against San Marino

Midfielder Frank Lampard has returned to Chelsea for treatment on a knee injury seemingly sustained in the second half of the match against Norwich City, with both camps presumably concerned about exacerbating the injury. That's a pity for Lampard, who would presumably have been keen to play in what would have been his 94th match for England, but his absence shouldn't be too much of a worry for Roy Hodgson. Whatever you think of England's depth at centre midfield, even without Lampard they should be more than capable of dominating San Marino, who have only ever won one game in their history, conceding 473 goals in 114 games in the process.

The FA reports that Lampard will be assessed again before it is determined if he will return to the squad for the Poland qualifier. Lampard returning to Cobham is a good thing for Chelsea, as it prevents the possibility of him aggravating the injury in what should be a dead rubber of a match, while allowing them to administer their own treatment and make a decision on his fitness. Injuries that occur on international duty are the worst things about these breaks, and hopefully this rest will allow Lampard to fully recover for Chelsea's upcoming tough run of fixtures. In the meantime, he can chill out with Juan Mata, who must be feeling pretty lonely at the moment.