England trio miss training

24 March 2009 11:29
England trio Peter Crouch, Ledley King and Shaun Wright-Phillips missed training on Tuesday morning ahead of the Slovakia friendly. Tottenham captain King took no part in the session due to ongoing concerns over the defender's fitness. King is unable to train during the week at club level and his long-standing knee problems restrict the centre-half to playing just one game a week. His inclusion in the England squad for the friendly against Slovakia and World Cup qualifier with Ukraine has been criticised by his Spurs boss Harry Redknapp. The FA has insisted England coach Fabio Capello will take no risks with King's fitness, with the 28-year-old sitting out training on Tuesday. Also missing from the session were Portsmouth striker Crouch and Manchester City winger Wright-Phillips, who both played 90 minutes for their clubs over the weekend. Crouch headed both goals as Pompey beat Everton 2-1, while Wright-Phillips was involved in the incident which saw Sunderland full-back George McCartney sent off in City's 1-0 win. A tight calf kept Crouch on the sidelines, and a sore back prevented Wright-Phillips from training, although neither problem is thought to be serious. England tackle Slovakia at Wembley on Saturday before hosting Ukraine in a World Cup qualifier the following Wednesday.

Source: SKY_Sports