England manager Gareth Southgate has revealed that Chelsea midfielder Danny Drinkwater declined a call-up to the Three Lions squad because he felt he wasn't fit enough to play against Germany and Brazil.
Drinkwater, who joined Chelsea from Leicester on transfer deadline day, was forced to wait until the Blues' League Cup game against Everton last month to make his debut because of a thigh injury.
Following his start in the 2-1 win over the Toffees, Chelsea manager Antonio Conte brought Drinkwater on as a 79th-minute substitute away to Bournemouth before using him as a late sub against Roma in the Champions League and in the 1-0 league win over Manchester United on Sunday.
With the England international being eased on in by Conte at Chelsea following a spell out with injury, Southgate revealed that Drinkwater did not feel he was fit enough to play in England's friendly games against Germany and Brazil.
Speaking to reporters, Southgate said: "I spoke to Danny earlier in the week but he feels he is not fit enough to play."
