Liverpool winger Raheem Sterling will be allowed to miss England's friendly in Italy next Tuesday, sources have told ESPN FC.
England national team coach Roy Hodgson will let the 20-year-old return to his club after the Euro 2016 qualifier against Lithuania on Friday, sources have told ESPN FC.
Sterling has played 49 matches this season, and the move is designed to ensure he does not aggravate a toe injury that has been troubling him recently.
Liverpool want to make sure he is fully fit when they make the trip to Arsenal in the lunchtime kickoff on the Saturday after the Italy game for looks like a crucial match in the battle for Champions League places
England boss Roy Hodgson named an inflated 28-man squad for the two Spring fixtures, but he has already lost Daniel Sturridge, Adam Lallana, Fraser Forster and Luke Shaw to injury. So far only goalkeepers Rob Green and Jack Butland, plus Spurs pair Ryan Mason and Danny Rose, have been called up as replacements.
Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson is the only remaining Reds player committed to being with the England squad for both matches.
Hodgson told talkSPORT that he expects further players to withdraw before they fly out for the international in the Juventus Stadium, the fixture coming just nine months after Italy beat England 2-1 at the World Cup.
He said: "Apart from all those players that I've suggested or have said aren't here through injury I fear we're going to lose a few more.
"There's one or two that I know won't be able to join us against Italy because of the current problems that they're dealing with at the moment, so on this occasion in particular it won't be as strong a team as I maybe would have liked to put out.
"In England, unfortunately you're always judged harshly and you're in the spotlight because everyone wants England to do well and believes we can do well.
"We'll accept that but as far as I'm concerned it's still the qualifiers that I put top of my list of priorities even though on paper Italy are a strong team to play than Lithuania."
Information from ESPN FC correspondent Mike Whalley was used in this report.