Keegan still faces left side experiments for England

England coach Kevin Keegan has suffered more injury problems to the left side of his squad as they start preparations for the Euro 2000 finals next month.

Young Aston Villa defender Gareth barry was called into the squad yesterday after Leeds United midfielder was ruled out of the tournament with a knee injury.

"I think you know Jason Wilcox has gone back to Leeds. He reported yesterday. He had a problem with his knee for the last two, two and half weeks, maybe three weeks. He was examined by the medical staff, and there is absolutely no doubt in our minds that he is not fit enough to even start to train to be considered for Euro 2000. So it was taxi back last night. He has gone back to Leeds. Obviously he is very, very disappointed. I think this has happened to him before. But, like I said to him, it is not long before we play France, they are world champions. That has to be the aim, get yourself fit, get back for that. "

"He has had a cruciate injury. It is the same knee. He had a major operation on that knee before. They are not related apparently."

"Jason Wilcox would have been in the 22. I thought he had done very, very well against Argentina. He is the sort of player you can put there. You know what you are going to get from him. What he can do. He knows what he can't do, which is what I think is a great asset. I was very, very happy with him."

The loss of Wilcox further weakens a problem area for Keegan. Chelsea defender Graeme Le Saux has not played sibnce last October and was never likely to be fit and the dearth of left footed players among the English ranks has been exposed following the loss of Wilcox.

Real Madrid midfielder Steve McManaman could well be asked to play on the left side of midfield. While right footed McManaman's roving style can see him play effectively on the left hand side of a team. At least for the friendly at Wembley against Brazil on Saturday the English will have to mix and match a midfield to provide some strength on the left hand side and help 19 year old Barry. There is a danger that several players in the back line and middle of the team could be fielded out of position right through next month. Madrid star McManaman is not an option for the friendly on Saturday.

"Steve McManaman is going to give us a ring after the European Cup final, then he will know what the plans are. I want him to go and enjoy that. I know what it is like to play in a foreign side in the European Cup final. Ours was not so good because we lost. Let him enjoy the moment. Then he can focus on the rest of Euro 2000 hopefully."

"I have to be honest and say of all the places to lose somebody probably the left side would be your least favourite option. But in the real world we live in, that happens sometimes. I think we are very fortunate to be able to call up someone like Gareth Barry who has had a taste of it, been in the squad, been very much at home in the squad. He is a different player to Jason, no doubt about that. Because he is different he gives you different options. I looked at various options and I just feel that he deserves that opportunity. He has done remarkably well for someone so young. He will get the chance to stake his claim now for a place in the 22."

" Harley we looked at. We looked at them. I don't have to mention them. There are not like twenty of them, there is four or five. We looked at Winterburn. I have had a discussion about Winterburn, had a discussion about Harley. Obviously you have to look at Steve Guppy and Steve Froggatt. But we decided that Gareth Barry was the one. And they are all different, that is the thing. You talk about left sided players, it sounds very simple, but they all play the left sided position so differently, all those. And we have gone for Gareth Barry. I think that is the future of English football as well, which is taken any consideration there."

"He has the talent to play anywhere. He has played left back. Of course he has played left centre back most of the time. But I think for a time in the FA Cup final he went to left back. He gives me different options to Jason."

"I did not ever seen Jason as a left full back - left wing back. With Gareth I get the opportunity to look at him in that position during training. Ideally he is more, I suppose you would say, defensive than Jason."

"I am not going to start picking the team for Brazil and Ukraine. I want to get my squad together. I have 28 to pick from. Obviously I said to you before I would like to start nailing down some of the things we want to do. There will still be experiments in that side and against Ukraine because we still have to see those sort of things. He may well get a chance to see what he can do."

The England coach was full of praise for Everton midfielder Nick Barmby, a favourite of previous England coach Terry Venables.

"Fantastic. First time I have seen him one to one in training. I have seen him play probably more than any other player in the last month. His training is a credit to him. Training is generally very good. Come in, picked up the pace. Very fit boy. Yes, he can play left side. Obviously what has happened to Jason may give him a boost as well. It sounds a terrible thing to say: someone's misfortune is opportunity for someone else."

"I still want out a team that wins on Saturday and a team that is credit to this country. But I still think -- I want to look at one or two things yes definitely. I don't make any excuses for that. I think it is common sense."

"I look at the way they train, the attitude in particular. And I think, yeah, it is all here, it is just a case of me getting it right, and then helping me get it right. In other words, there is the quality there and I know some of you people are sceptical. The quality is there to win a major championship. There is no doubt about it. I know there is doubts in some of yours. We get the chance to make some of you eat your words. That is always nice if we can do that. Or we get the chance to prove some of you right. That is the fascination when going into a tournament. We have got a lot of quality there, I mean a lot of quality. You look at it and think we are pretty strong all over."

"We are playing the best on Saturday from Brazil. I think it is a fantastic way to start our preparations for Euro 2000. I know some of you think: what happens if you don't beat Brazil. You have picked a tough team. My answer is if that happens let us hope we learn something from it and learn something very quickly."

Keegan was good natured as he talked of the press crtitcism he regularly undergoes.

"I have had plenty of criticsm already. I think it with was the first press conference. One of asked you what vegetable. The cucumber, if I had a choice. I don't suppose I get that choice. Why a cumumber ? Because cool as a cucumber. But let us be honest, we have this sort of discussion every time and that. I sit in front of you and I know how that side of it works. I know what jobs you have to do. You ask me questions and you must cringe having to ask them. You have to ask them, it is part of your job."

There are few hopes among the press pack and seemingly the public at large that England are about to win the tournament.

"I think it is fair for it to be qualified now because of the way we did qualify. If we were the Czech Republic and I was the coach of that team sat here it would be different. But the answer is I think it has to be realistic. I think it is realistic. What people are saying is both sides of the coin. That is your job. What if this happens? We accept that. We don't always agree with it, but we accept it."

The problems on the left side only add to the criticism that the squad for Euro 2000 is not as strong as for previous tournaments.

"I obviously would not agree with that. But I mean -- what do you mean balanced talking about left side, When the Germans name their 22, their press are going to say the same. I think the Germans in particular have a lot of left sided players. They will be saying they wish had the strikers and central defenders that England have got. We are stronger in some departments than others. Don't you think that is the case of every national side? One of the things we have is quality in depth. I am not sure all the other nations have that. Some of them have. Holland, Italy, France we know. When I look at Portugal. They have one left footed player. I looked at Italy they only had Pessoto on the night when Portugal played Italy. I don't include goalkeepers in that. You know, I think it is cyclical. I think it is. But we have got, you know, a fair few options coming through. I have to deal in reality which is now. And at this moment in time we have not, through injury as well we have been robbed of two players who almost certainly would have gone.

The England coach was asked about the fitness of Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler.

"He has come through the two games, trained this morning. We will continue to monitor his sharpness, his fitness, just like all the other players. At this moment in time he still has a real chance of being in the 22. I want every player to believe that. That is the truth. One or two of them might feel themselves a bit behind that. That is their problem."

"It would be a slight gamble to take Robbie. If I felt it was right to take that gamble I would. You should not underestimate the fact that he is a left sided striker. I have watched him train for hour and half this morning. We have done a lot of physical stuff. He has done all that okay. In the game that went on every -- it was fantastic training. I would not want to assess him in one day. I think it would be totally unfair to do that. When I name my 22 you will know whether I think he is fit enough or not.

Keegan talked about the unpredictable nature of tournament football from a coach's point of view.

"With the greatest will in the world most of these coaches go into tournaments, they think they know the side when they start. Something happens to one player and they might change two and bingo they come up and hit the jackpot. I know you people like to think that football is all complicated and all very, very tactical. You must not underestimate sometimes just situations happening that. With the quality we have in your squad that should not be a surprise to you.

"I don't think everyone is against us. I think, as I said to you people before, nobody would want us to be successful more than you; it means you stay longer, have more interest. If we go out you see your interest (the English media's) diminishing by 75 per cent maybe 100 per cent for some of you."

"I think the Andy Cole thing in particular has been very, very unfair. I have never ever said, as some of the people have insinuated, he won't go. I cannot remember ever saying anything detrimental against Andy Cole. You probably try and find a quote. Be careful which paper you take it from. It may have been taken out of context. I have never ever said anything, to my knowledge, against Andy Cole. I think it is people just phoning up radio shows and people have picked it up from there."

"I have said on tv Andy Cole has not played for three weeks and has trained for the first time today. He's going back to see a specialist on probably Friday, but it might be next Monday. That is part of his normal thing with Man Utd where he had an injection there. We are not hiding anything from you. A. He had to have an injection in his toe because he had a point on it where it was sore. Alex Ferguson phoned me up and said: that is where we are. He will train. Then hopefully we will come through that. If it does not work, we will have to look at it again.

Keegan was quizzed about his thoughts on the Group A opposition he will face in three weeks.

"I respect them all totally. I think the toughest game will be the first one, Portugal, simply because it is the first game of the tournament. They are a side that have got a lot of flair in them and potential match winners. They are a side who could be under the kosh and still find people who could win them the game. There are not hundreds of sides like that left in the world. Germany speaks for itself. Don't matter what happens, the German game will be a big game. We are trying to shove that on the back burner because we want to focus on Portugal. Romania we will know what we have to do by that game. That includes Romania, they will know what they need at that game. We will know the same. Our group is the most fascinating. Other groups have matches that will set you on fire. All our games will be tough. I think the other coaches know that as well."

Two recent international tournaments - Euro 96 and the last World Cup saw outbreaks of indiscipline and drunken parties from the England squad when they were given time off training. Keegan does not expect anything like that to happen in the next few weeks.

"I will be honest with you. We have not had any problems with discipline, to my knowledge. I am sure you will find something. I've got a good group of players. A nice balance. The older pros are really good with the younger lads. We have a fair few young lads around the squad. I am not worried about that. If you hear anything let me know, because I am sure you will. If that is the worse thing that happens, someone gets their eyebrows shaved off, we will be all right." Robbie Fowler lost his eyebrows in a drunken prank last week.

Keegan was happy to talk about Michael owen and his recovery from recent fitness problems.

"Well, first of all Michael Owen is not injured. You know, Michael Owen is very fit, as far as I am concerned. I know everyone has a different opinion of how fit he is. What I see is a very sharp lad. I saw him at Bradford, when he got his opportunity to do the things he's really good at he was very unlucky not to score; his pace was electric. There is absolutely no problem with Michael Owen. The medical people had a chat. He will not be treated any different to any other player. He have does do some little exercises extra that his club have given him."