England News

• Nickname:Three Lions
• Founded: 1872
• Manager:Roy Hodgson

• Ground:Wembley Stadium
• Capacity:90,000

Sven given extra time for Rooney

02 May 2006 - 08:21:34

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Sven-Goran Eriksson has been told he can wait until June 9 to make a final decision about Wayne Rooney's participation in the World Cup.

Eriksson must name England's 23-man squad for the tournament on May 15 and faces a tricky decision about whether to risk the Manchester United striker after he suffered a broken metatarsal during last weekend's 3-0 defeat at Chelsea.

However, FIFA have confirmed the coach will be able to replace injured players in his squad until the day before England's opening game against Paraguay on June 10.

A FIFA spokesman told the Daily Telegraph: "Coaches will have players who are crucial to their team and who they hope will be fit in time for the tournament and this gives them a chance to recover fully right up to the beginning of their team's World Cup.

"That provision is there for any player, provided a medical certificate confirms the injury."