June 30 (UPI) — Midfielder Fabian Delph left England’s camp at the World Cup in order to be present for the birth of his third child.
England trained with 21 players on Saturday, before facing Colombia on Tuesday in the round of 16.
Sources confirmed that he was granted permission to fly home from Russia for the birth, according to ESPN and Sky Sports. The midfielder flew back from Kaliningrad, immediately following England’s 1-0 loss to Belgium in the group stage on Thursday. He will return after his wife Natalie gives birth.
Delph, 28, has 13 appearances for England’ senior team. He made his internatonal debut for the squad in 2014. The midfielder began his senior club career at Leeds United. He also played at Aston Villa, before joining Manchester City in 2015.
“Delighted to make my World Cup debut. Great team performance,” Delph wrote on Instagram after facing Panama on June 24 in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. “#OntoTheNextOne #TunnelVision.”
England battles Colombia at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Spartak Stadium in Moscow. Delph is expected to return to Russia on Sunday.
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