LONDON - Wayne Rooney's broken toe has exposed the paucity of striking talent available to England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson as he ponders who to name for the 27-man provisional World Cup squad tomorrow.
The Swede is likely to name Rooney and, depending on the state of the injury, will probably
take him to Germany hoping the Manchester United man might be fit to make an impact in the knockout stages.
Michael Owen, a proven tournament operator but also fighting to fully recover from a broken toe, will remain first choice for the starting team while Peter Crouch is also a certainty for the squad and could find himself in the 11.
Eriksson might have taken five strikers anyway but will certainly need to if he plans to carry Rooney through the early stages.
That means Jermain Defoe can expect the nod, despite struggling to make the Tottenham Hotspur first team.
Charlton Athletic's free-scoring Darren Bent should also get the chance to take his yeoman but uninspired talents to the finals.
Owen apart, none of those names are likely to strike fear into the cream of the world's defenders and the fact that the likes of James Beattie, Emile Heskey and even Robbie Fowler have also been mentioned as possible inclusions shows just how little Eriksson has to choose from.
The situation could force Eriksson to abandon his preferred 4-4-2 formation, play Owen as a lone striker and rely on his undeniably talented midfield resources to provide the goals.
Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, David Beckham and Joe Cole are the current first-choice quartet, with Jermaine Jenas, Michael Carrick, Owen Hargreaves also probables for the trip.
The question marks are over Eriksson's choice of wide men. Shaun Wright-Phillips once appeared a sure bet but after a season when he has barely featured for Chelsea and seemingly lost his confidence, the coach may be having second thoughts.
Middlesbrough's Stewart Downing has rediscovered his best form at the opportune time and can fill the troublesome space on the left, while uncapped Tottenham teenager Aaron Lennon, riding a wave of media promotion, could slip in as the high-speed x-factor on the right.
Among the defenders, Sol Campbell should make the trip, despite his troubles.
- REUTERS
Soccer: Rooney injury exposes holes
LONDON - Wayne Rooney's broken toe has exposed the paucity of striking talent available to England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson as he ponders who to name for the 27-man provisional World Cup squad tomorrow.
The Swede is likely to name Rooney and, depending on the state of the injury, will probably
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