Lampard out of England's EURO party

Frank Lampard has been ruled out of England's UEFA EURO 2012 campaign.

The Chelsea midfielder suffered a thigh injury in training yesterday and went for a scan this afternoon to discover the extent of the damage.

However, Lampard and manager Roy Hodgson were preparing for the worst and the Football Association have now confirmed the player, who will be 34 next month, will not be part of England's 23-man squad.

It is devastating news for England, who have already had to deal with the loss of one midfielder, Manchester City's Gareth Barry, who suffered a stomach injury in Saturday's friendly win over Norway.

It's a huge blow for the team.

England boss Roy Hodgson on the loss of Frank Lampard

And for Lampard, it potentially spells the end of his entire England career, with Hodgson expected to offer the younger midfielders a chance to prove themselves during next autumn's FIFA World Cup™ qualifying programme.

Jordan Henderson will be called into the England squad providing Hodgson gets the green light from UEFA. What makes this latest twist even more galling is that Lampard was only in his second day of training, having joined the Three Lions party late after winning the UEFA Champions League with his club, in Munich, on 19 May.

Hodgson said: "It's a huge blow for the team, especially coming after the loss of another senior player in Gareth Barry. The fact that the doctor cannot guarantee Frank could take part in any of the group matches means we have to replace him in the central midfield area.

"Apart from it being a huge blow to me and the team, I'm especially disappointed for Frank himself," the coach went on. "He has been in very good form and was looking forward to the tournament.

"He made a huge contribution towards us qualifying for the EUROs so it is cruel to be forced out through injury just before the tournament."