England manager Gareth Southgate has played down fears over Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s back injury.

The Chelsea midfielder, on loan from Crystal Palace, was forced off in the 35th minute of England’s goalless draw against Brazil last night.

He is an early doubt for the Eagles’ league game with relegation rivals Everton on Saturday.

When asked about Loftus-Cheek’s injury, Southgate said: “It’s a problem with his back which he has had periodically.

“It should settle down fairly quickly. I don’t expect it to be a problem.

“We’re going to have to give him time to build his resilience. He’s already played more minutes than he did in the whole of last season.

“But he’s way stronger than he was a year or two ago. Then, it was difficult for him to finish 90 minutes. It’s a disappointment for him to come off, but these 10 days have been a massive stride forward for him.”