Taylor Puts Club Before Country!

"I was gutted at having to miss out on Sunday because I hate missing any game.

"Like my previous bad injury when I dislocated my collar-bone training with the England Under-21 side a couple of years ago, my groin problems all started when I was away on international duty.

"I tweaked the muscles, and since then I have been on pain-killers.

"But I have had trouble sprinting so it would have been silly to have played on Sunday.

"There were fears that it might be a hernia which would have meant weeks, if not months, on the sidelines, but this has not proved to be the case.

"Nobody likes playing for their country more than me. But with the way this problem has been affecting me, I do not think it would be wise to go off on international duty, especially when we play at Chelsea three or four days later, because it would be too much of a risk."