Phil Jagielka has assured Fabio Capello he is fit to face Spain at Wembley on Saturday. At the start of the week it was anticipated Jagielka's stay with the England squad would be brief due to a toe problem the Everton man has been having injections in just so he can play.
Jagielka missed training on Thursday, further strengthening a belief he would not be involved against the world champions. However, the 29-year-old completed Friday morning's session at Wembley without a problem and has assured Capello he will be fine if he is called upon.
'He played normally today,' said the Italian. 'I spoke with him. I asked him if he is ready to play. He told me yes.' Jagielka's availability may not go down well with Everton boss David Moyes but it does balance out the disappointment of Gabriel Agbonlahor's departure.
The Aston Villa forward was hoping to win his fourth cap after hitting top form following the arrival of Alex McLeish as manager in the summer. But Agbonlahor suffered a minor hamstring problem in training on Thursday that was enough to convince Capello he would not be able to play against Spain or Sweden next Tuesday, leaving him with no option to head back to the Midlands.
'I decided that Agbonlahor will go home,' said Capello. 'It is a little thing but out of respect to the club it is no good to put him forward for the next game because he won't be 100 per cent fit. 'I was really happy when I selected him too because at this moment he is in fantastic form.'
Capello has also defended his decision not to choose Manchester City defender Micah Richards. The full-back has won only one cap under Capello, as a substitute against France 12 months ago, but has been in sparkling form in the Blues' surge to the top of the Barclays Premier League.
In Vincent Kompany's absence, he skippered City to victory at QPR last weekend, yet once again he has been overlooked in favour of Kyle Walker and Glen Johnson, who returns after injury. 'He was with me against Montenegro,' Capello pointed out. 'Now Glen Johnson is playing well and I have followed Kyle Walker for the last three games. He is in good form. 'I can only select two right-backs. He (Richards) was in the provisional squad but I decided on these two.'
Source: Daily_Mail
