England must cope without Carrick

Published: 01 Jun 2009 - 09:17:00

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Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick has been ruled out of England's World Cup qualifiers against Kazakhstan and Andorra with a foot injury. Aston Villa winger James Milner has been called up from the England Under-21 squad as the replacement for Carrick. Milner's inclusion brings the total number of Villa players in the squad to four. Carrick played alongside Ryan Giggs in central midfield for United in their 2-0 Champions League final defeat to Barcelona. His absence is not expected to hamper England coach Fabio Capello unduly as he prepares for the games, against Kazakhstan in Almaty on Saturday, then Andorra at Wembley the following Wednesday. Maximum points should all but make England's place at the 2010 World Cup safe.