Sven-Goran Eriksson has had second thoughts about asking Jamie Carragher to face France's formidable forwards on Sunday, and Ledley King is on standby if John Terry fails to recover from a hamstring injury.
Terry missed another training session at the Estadio Nacional Jamor yesterday but when the first-team bibs were handed out for a practice match, King got one instead of Carragher.
The England manager clearly has reservations about the success Thierry Henry has enjoyed against Carragher in club matches against Liverpool, notably when he tormented the defender en route to a hat-trick only in April. The Swede is thought to be concerned about Carragher's lack of speed on the turn, a potential weakness ripe for exploitation by quicksilver pace.
Yet the selection of a centre half as raw and inexperienced as King will hardly ease the concerns about England's defence for the fixture at the Estadio da Luz, a match that would be difficult enough to win with a full-strength team.
Not only has the 23-year-old King been deployed as a central midfielder for the majority of the season for his club, he has started only one match for England, the 1-1 draw against Portugal in Faro four months ago. Although he exceeded all expectations, and scored England's goal, his lack of experience would make him a huge risk against Henry, Zinedine Zidane et al.
It would also constitute Eriksson's biggest gamble as coach since picking Wayne Rooney for the qualifying match against Turkey at Sunderland 14 months ago.
Eriksson will make a final decision on Terry's fitness tomorrow but the indications from the camp are they do not want to risk aggravating the injury at a time when Rio Ferdinand's suspension and injuries to Jonathan Woodgate and Gareth Southgate mean the squad is already short of central defenders.
England training this morning will be closed to the media, though yesterday Terry was able to indulge in a spot of solo jogging while the rest of the squad had their practice match. His left leg is no longer heavily bandaged.
Last night Eriksson said the 23-year-old had "made progress" and is being put through extensive gymnasium routines. in consultation with England's doctor Leif Sward, the physiotherapist Gary Lewin and fitness coach Ivan Carminati.
"We will see how much they can push him," said Eriksson. "On Friday we will decide . . . We have Jamie Carragher and Ledley King and they are both in very good shape. I'm sure they would both like to play in the first game."
Both options are far from ideal, however, considering neither is a first-choice centre back for his club, but it is Carragher who looks likely to miss out despite his greater depth of experience. King has many admirers in the game, moreover, but the doubts about his suitability for such an occasion are exacerbated by the fact he's has seldom played in the position this season.
Even when Tottenham went through an horrific spell in defence at the start of the year, their former director of football David Pleat was reluctant to move King back to the position in which Eriksson is considering playing him. This was probably less a reflection of King's ability than Spur's complete lack of a defensively-minded midfieler.
Although there is no clear evidence Eriksson has made a firm decision, Carragher (26) is entitled to fear the worst despite starting alongside Campbell in Saturday's 6-1 defeat of Iceland and staying on the pitch for the longest time.
Eriksson might have inflicted damage to Carragher's self-belief with yesterday's vote of no confidence, too.
Privately, the Swede may regret omitting the likes of Wes Brown and Ugo Ehiogu from the 23-man party, although he does have a fall-back option of switching Gary Neville from right-back, something Manchester United have done at times of adversity.
Getting Eriksson to admit his error is a different matter, but he will have to explain himself if things go badly on Sunday. Brown, in particular, is faster than King or Carragher and England's pace in defence - or rather the lack of it - may be critical against Henry and David Trezeguet.
However, King is the man in the right place at the right time and will probably find himself deputed to keep out two of the world's most formidable strikers if, or more likely when, Terry decides to settle for returning in the second match, against Switzerland next Thursday evening.
Guardian Service
