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England likely to lose out national heroes for Euro 2004
London, May 02: England are hoping the kind of injury crisis which rocked their 2002 World Cup campaign will remain a distant memory as they prepare for Euro 2004.
London, May 02: England are hoping the kind of injury crisis which rocked their 2002 World Cup campaign will remain a distant memory as they prepare for Euro 2004.
Injuries like those that ruled out midfielder Steven Gerrard as well as defender Gary Neville and handicapped the performances of skipper David Beckham and striker Michael Owen in South Korea and Japan have been conspicuously absent.
Only squad players Jonathan Woodgate and Gareth Southgate face a race against time to prove their fitness for a place in central defence after thigh and knee injuries respectively.
The one certain absentee from Sven Goran-Eriksson's first-choice line-up is Manchester United's Rio Ferdinand, who is serving an eight-month ban for missing a drugs test.
Chelsea's John Terry is the man most likely to replace Ferdinand alongside Arsenal's Sol Campbell while Matthew Upson and Ledley King are alternatives should Woodgate and Southgate fail to recover in time.
Bureau Report
Injuries like those that ruled out midfielder Steven Gerrard as well as defender Gary Neville and handicapped the performances of skipper David Beckham and striker Michael Owen in South Korea and Japan have been conspicuously absent.
Only squad players Jonathan Woodgate and Gareth Southgate face a race against time to prove their fitness for a place in central defence after thigh and knee injuries respectively.
The one certain absentee from Sven Goran-Eriksson's first-choice line-up is Manchester United's Rio Ferdinand, who is serving an eight-month ban for missing a drugs test.
Chelsea's John Terry is the man most likely to replace Ferdinand alongside Arsenal's Sol Campbell while Matthew Upson and Ledley King are alternatives should Woodgate and Southgate fail to recover in time.
Bureau Report