Saturday Feb 02 2008 20:32
Uncapped Gabriel Agbonlahor has kept his place in Fabio Capello's 23-man England squad for Wednesday's friendly international against Switzerland at Wembley.
Capello had initially named a 30-man squad for the match but has cast aside seven players in the wake of Saturday's games.
Emile Heskey had to withdraw from the squad after suffering a nerve problem in Wigan's 1-0 win over West ham but Capello has axed Curtis Davies, Michael Carrick, Ledley King, Stewart Downing, Nicky Shorey and Glen Johnson.
After announcing the squad, Capello told the FA's official website: "I want to be clear that the players who have not made the squad this time are still part of my plans.
"We will be monitoring the form of everyone very closely as we work towards the competitive matches which start in September.
"It is of course a blow to lose Ledley King from the squad. He is a very good player who has impressed me a lot when I have seen him play.
"I am fully aware of his injury status after speaking with Juande Ramos on Friday.
"Emile Heskey's injury is disappointing too, but we have to concentrate on the players who are in the squad.
"I plan to name a captain for the Switzerland game on Tuesday, but I don't expect to appoint a permanent captain until we start the qualifying games. I want to work closely with the players before deciding on this.
"I'm looking forward to working with them on the training ground. There is a lot of work to do but I am ready for the challenge.
"We have seven months to prepare for our first competitive match, but the work really starts now."
The England squad to play Switzerland is:
Goalkeepers: David James (Portsmouth), Scott Carson (Liverpool on loan at Aston Villa), Chris Kirkland (Wigan).
Defenders: Wayne Bridge (Chelsea), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Wes Brown (Manchester United), Joleon Lescott (Everton), Micah Richards (Manchester City), Matthew Upson (West ham United), Jonathan Woodgate (Tottenham Hotspur).
Midfielders: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Gareth Barry (Aston Villa), Jermaine Jenas (Tottenham Hotspur), Owen Hargreaves (Manchester United), Joe Cole (Chelsea), Ashley Young (Aston Villa), Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Chelsea), David Bentley (Blackburn Rovers).
Forwards: Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa), Michael Owen (Newcastle United), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Peter Crouch (Liverpool).
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