Soccer: Walcott poised for cup action

Theo Walcott has given his coach plenty to enthuse about as England considers alternatives to the injured Michael Owen. Picture / Reuters

BADEN BADEN - England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson may be ready to give 17-year-old Theo Walcott a slice of the World Cup action against Ecuador on Monday after losing Michael Owen to injury.

Eriksson believes Walcott, the youngest England player in history, could ease the strain on Wayne Rooney or Peter Crouch in the later stages of the second-round match in Stuttgart.

Asked whether he thought Walcott was ready to be thrown on for such a pressure match, having played only 25 minutes for England in a "friendly" win over Hungary last month, Eriksson said: "I think so. The weeks he's been together with us have been fantastic for him.

"He's getting better and better, with more and more confidence.

"He talks more, wants the ball more and is scoring fantastic goals in training. On Monday we had a small finishing session and he was incredible."

Owen's ruptured cruciate ligament means he will be out of action for at least nine months. The FA's insurers, SBG Brokers, will have to pay Owen's wages of £115,000 ($344,524) a week.

The injury has left Eriksson with only Rooney, who is coming back from a broken foot, and towering Crouch to start in attack against Ecuador.

Rooney was given 69 minutes of the 2-2 draw with Sweden after returning as a substitute in the 2-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago following a near seven-week absence.

"My fitness has never been a problem and I feel really good," Rooney said. "I felt I could have played longer out there."

Eriksson, who has expressed no regrets in public about not taking Jermain Defoe as a fifth striker to the World Cup at the expense of a midfielder, has two other options up front.

Midfielders Joe Cole, who volleyed a spectacular opener against Sweden, or Steven Gerrard, who headed the second, could play further forward.

Cole's trickery down the left has been one of the few highlights of England's group phase and his place there would go to the more conventional winger Stewart Downing.

Gerrard, who missed the 2002 World Cup due to groin surgery and was mediocre at Euro 2004, has been fizzing in Germany.

He scored in the support striker's role against Hungary and netted in the group game against Trinidad.

Gerrard's move up the pitch would enable Eriksson to keep Owen Hargreaves as a holding midfielder behind Frank Lampard.

But Eriksson's problem at these finals is arguably more to do with getting the team to play with sustained fluency.

- REUTERS