England defender Ryan Bertrand apologises for using expletive on Twitter

Chelsea full-back Ryan Bertrand (GETTY IMAGES)

England international Ryan Bertrand has apologised after he used an expletive to explain his absence from the England squad.

The Chelsea left-back was forced to withdraw from the squad for tomorrow's match against San Marino with what was originally understood to be a soar throat.

But the 23-year-old was at pains to explain there was more to it than that, and took to Twitter to do so.

"Do you think a "sorethroat" could stop me being apart of a match for my club or country? #yourf******nuts this is what every boy dreams of," he wrote.

The tweet was swiftly deleted and Bertrand apologised for any offence it may have caused.

"Just to clarify.... Its not a "sore throat" Im ill.swollen glands in my neck... And constant headache for 3 days now and freezin cold.

"sorry if i offended anyone by swearing as i don't encourage that type of language...

"was just disappointed at the thought of people thinking i only have a sore throat.. which is not the case..."

The incident comes just days after his club team-mate Ashley Cole was charged for an inappropriate tweet in which he called the FA a "bunch of tw**ts".

It remains to be seen if the FA will take action against Bertrand who will return to the squad on Sunday to assess his fitness for Tuesday's match against Poland.