Jack Butland injury: Stoke goalkeeper accepts his Euro 2016 hopes are over after suffering fractured ankle

Jack Butland has accepted that his hopes of being part of the England squad for the European Championships are all but over after suffering a fractured ankle in the 3-2 victory over Germany last week.

Butland was handed a rare start in the Three Lions shirt due to the absent Joe Hart, with Roy Hodgson’s first choice goalkeeper ruled out with a calf injury he picked up while playing for Manchester City.

But disaster would striker the Stoke City goalkeeper when he suffered the injury midway through the first half, leading to Germany’s opening goal as Toni Kroos took full advantage of Butland’s discomfort to fire the ball past him from long range.

With England’s first match of their Euro 2016 campaign just 10 weeks away, Butland admits that he’s unlikely to feature in Hodgson’s plans for the tournament given he will not play for club or country again before the deadline to name a 23-man squad.

"I don't think it (Euro 2016) is going to be an option for me now to be honest because I won't be able to play again between now and the end of the season," Butland told #pottersmag, Stoke’s official matchday magazine.

"I will have an operation on Tuesday night and then it is all about working hard and making sure I come out the other side stronger and better than before.

"It is difficult because I have been working towards the Euros this summer, but I won't be able to be part of that experience now.”

While Butland will go under the knife in order to begin his rehabilitation, his international team-mates will take to the Wembley turf to take on the Netherlands in their final international friendly before they embark on the three warm-up games that will decide Hodgson’s starting squad for their first Euro 2016 group game against Russia on 11 June.

The 23-year-old stressed that he is ready to take on the challenge of regaining his full fitness though, even if it wasn’t in his initial plans for the summer.

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"It isn't the challenge that I expected or wanted this summer but I'm going to approach it with the right mentality and learn from it, both physically and mentally,” Butland added.

"I have not had to deal with an injury like this before so I will come out of it as a stronger person and a better goalkeeper, and look forward to the start of next season."

Butland was at fault for the opening goal, and he admitted that he hoped to run off the injury rather than swallow his pride and lose a rare opportunity to impress Hodgson, only to realise as soon as he dived to try and save Kroos’ shot that his game was over.

"I knew a couple of minutes before the goal that something wasn't right but I felt it was my opportunity to make an impact for my country," Butland added.

"In the heat of the moment I didn't want to put my hand up and come off, so I tried to shake it off because it didn't feel like anything too problematic.

"Unfortunately, during the period of time that I was trying to shake it off they scored the goal.

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"When I tried pushing off to make the save I knew instantly that there was absolutely no way that I was going to be able to continue.

"It's in my nature to want to carry on and fight, but unfortunately it proved to be my downfall in the end."

Butland should, however, be back in time for the start of the new season, with Stoke set to get their campaign underway on the weekend of the 13 August.