England v Israel: The England manager Steve McClaren has confirmed his midfielder Owen Hargreaves is a doubt for tomorrow's Euro 2008 qualifier against Israel at Wembley.

Hargreaves missed training on Wednesday with a thigh injury and is struggling, as is Steven Gerrard, while Frank Lampard and David Beckham are out.

"Thankfully a scan only revealed a small problem," said McClaren.

"We're still hoping he will be available for Saturday, and he is definitely not ruled out."

He added: "We'll give Owen as much time as we can before making a decision. He's a determined character and we know that he really wants to play. Naturally, we won't take any unnecessary risks with him though."

McClaren revealed Liverpool midfielder Gerrard is being closely monitored as he recovers from a broken toe.

"We did have some positive news on Steven Gerrard yesterday, when he played a part in training without any problems," he said.

"We will continue to assess him closely and stay in regular contact with the medical staff at Liverpool before making any decision as to whether he will play.

"As I've already said, regardless of who is injured, we are looking forward to Saturday with confidence. I've told the players we have enough ability in the dressingroom and it's up to us to go out and the get result. We're good enough to do so."

Chelsea midfielder Lampard is ruled out with a thigh injury, while Beckham's knee problem has ended any hope of the LA Galaxy star playing any part.

England, who are three points behind leaders Croatia in Group E, have not ruled out giving Gerrard an injection to enable him to play against Israel, though the Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez is against giving him an injection.