Ashley Cole has been ruled out of England’s crucial World Cup qualifier against Poland tomorrow evening, as he struggles to recover from a rib injury, the Express understands.

The 32 year old sat out of the Three Lions’ 4-1 win over Montenegro on Friday evening having been substituted with the knock in the Blues win over Norwich City the previous weekend.

Roy Hodgson had been keen to have Cole available for the final group game, despite having a more than able back up to select in the shape of Everton’s Leighton Baines.

England will guarantee qualification for next summer’s World Cup finals in Brazil with three points at Wembley, while anything but victory will almost certainly see Ukraine – who play San Marino, leapfrog them into first place.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are considering a £25m move for Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba in January, according to the Metro.

The France international moved to Turin last summer, after not being offered a contract with Manchester United – the club where he began his career.

He has since made almost fifty appearances for the Serie A Champions – scoring seven goals, and has  been capped for times by France manager and former Blues midfielder Didier Deschamps.