Photo: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images Europe

England U21 last night had a 3-2 victory in a friendly game against the Italian U21 side, but Chelsea youngster Ruben Loftus-Cheek was missing in action.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek was on the bench all through the game, but was apparently carrying a minor knock which is why he was unable to play.

In his absence, the England U21 national football team extended their unbeaten run to 15 matches in all competitions with a last-gasp 3-2 victory over Italy U21 at Southampton on Thursday night.