Frank Lampard is almost certainly out of Euro 2012 because of the thigh injury that has put Jordan Henderson on the brink of a late call-up and left England looking increasingly depleted with only 11 days to their opening game of the tournament, against France.

Lampard was hurt chasing a ball into a corner during England's training session and the initial prognosis is that there is virtually no chance of him being fit. The seriousness of the issue was immediately obvious to his team-mates as he was treated at the scene and a dismayed Roy Hodgson quickly put in place contingency plans by contacting Liverpool to inform them that Henderson might be needed.

That would leave England operating from anything but a position of strength when it comes to back-up players for Hodgson's first-choice central-midfield pairing of Steven Gerrard and Scott Parker. Hodgson's options are so depleted that Phil Jones, used mostly as a defender at Manchester United, is next in line, followed by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and now Henderson.

Lampard turns 34 during the tournament and, if his worst fears are confirmed, he will have to acknowledge that it also puts his international career at serious risk. The Chelsea midfielder had spoken on Tuesday about reaching 100 England caps but he is currently 10 short and has started only one of the past five internationals. He is, however, still regarded as a key member of the squad, especially at a time when Gareth Barry and Jack Wilshere have already been ruled out and there are lingering concerns about the ability of Gerrard and Parker to play the entire tournament.

Gerrard was restricted to only 45 minutes of the 1-0 friendly win against Norway on Saturday and missed Liverpool's last two games of the season because of his recurrent back issues. To put it into context, England's players had a golf afternoon at their hotel in Hertfordshire and Gerrard played only nine holes because he did not want to overextend himself.

As for Parker, he lasted almost an hour in Oslo but has been treated with injections because of a persistent achilles problem that meant he barely played in the previous month.

Hodgson's options are limited by Michael Carrick's withdrawal from contention and the FA has indicated there will be no attempt to try to ascertain his availability. If Lampard's scan reveals a tear, the FA will have to prove to Uefa's medical committee that it is a new injury before being allowed a replacement. Lampard missed three and a half months two seasons ago with a thigh injury, although it not clear at this early stage whether the latest problem is in the same area. Either way, the ruling body does not anticipate a problem bringing in Henderson.