England cloak injuries in silence

Deposed captain John Terry was due to have further tests on the tight hamstring he experienced during Saturday’s win over Belgium.

Terry was sent for a scan on Sunday but initial indications were that it was not a major concern and the Chelsea captain would be able to take his place in manager Roy Hodgson’s travelling squad.

However, England have one more training session this morning prior to departure before the travelling party is confirmed.

At various stages over the past fortnight there have been fitness concerns over Danny Welbeck, Steven Gerrard, Glen Johnson and Scott Parker. Hodgson was optimistic they would all be okay when he spoke after the Belgium game on Saturday, although the same could have been said for Gary Cahill, who ended up being ruled out with a fractured jaw.

It was that injury that triggered a call-up for 22-year-old Liverpool defender Martin Kelly, and prompted the row over Rio Ferdinand’s omission to boil over.

The arguments are rumbling on, even though the 33-year-old has now gone on holiday with his family, insisting he hopes England triumph in his absence.

Hodgson has not explained why he chose Kelly in preference to Ferdinand, although given the vast disparity in experience, his previous claim of “football reasons” being behind the 81-cap international being omitted from the original squad, appears quite flimsy.

The Three Lions returned to their Hertfordshire base yesterday afternoon, from where they will head to Luton Airport today for the flight to Krakow – their home for the next three and a half weeks if things turn out as Hodgson wants.

Hodgson will find it impossible to escape the Ferdinand question until he addresses it, although there is no need for him to speak on the issue until Sunday afternoon – the UEFA designated pre-match press conference for England’s Group D opener with France – should he so desire.

Whenever the matter is discussed, it will not be comfortable for Hodgson, who will find it hard to flick Ferdinand’s absence away with his curt “football reasons”.

He is certainly on safer ground with his assessment of Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart.

Robert Green may have done reasonably well in Norway recently – his first appearance since suffering his World Cup nightmare in Rustenburg, when his blunder gifted the United States’ Clint Dempsey an equaliser.

However, man for man, Hart is accepted as the player England can least afford to be without.

“I agree he will be vital,” Hodgson said. “His form for Manchester City has been superb.

“When he has played for England he has done very well and if we are to do well there is no doubt we will need Joe Hart in top form.”

A proud tradition of world-class goalkeepers – including Gordon Banks, Peter Shilton, current England coach Ray Clemence, and David Seaman – hit a fallow period recently.

Paul Robinson and David James amassed plenty of caps without truly being top drawer.

Scott Carson’s poor performance against Croatia helped result in England’s failure to qualify for Euro 2008 and cost Steve McClaren his job.

Ben Foster looked to be the answer until form, fitness and, eventually, lack of interest, condemned him exclusively to a club career – a situation Hodgson has been unable to reverse.

Once uncapped Norwich goalkeeper John Ruddy was ruled out of this tournament, Hodgson opted for the promise of 19-year-old Jack Butland to fill the third available slot, even though his only senior action has come in League Two for Cheltenham.

Fortunately, England have Hart, whose saves played a significant role in Manchester City clinching their first league title for 44 years and, at 25, has so much improvement still to make.

Even now James argues the Shrewsbury-born star is better than Spain’s Iker Casillas, who along with Germany’s Manuel Neuer is generally regarded as the world’s best.

“If you look at the top England teams of the past we have often had a goalkeeper that people have suggested is one of the best in Europe or, in the case of Gordon Banks, in the world,” Hodgson said.

“I agree 100 per cent with Brian Clough. He always placed great faith in goalkeepers.

“He felt that got you a lot of points every year.

“He produces the save that a normal goalkeeper wouldn’t. That lifts your team higher up the league. It also gives confidence, which is another factor.”

Not that Hodgson felt there was much in Hart’s 18th England appearance on Saturday on which to base any kind of opinion.

For all Belgium’s possession, he hardly had anything to do – a conclusion Hodgson was able to reach in a rather unusual way.

“You notice with goalkeepers when they don’t have a lot to do, they start to practice their kicking,” he said.

“They do the cleverer kicks or the better kicks. When they have a lot to do, they are quite happy to throw it out and get a bit of a breather.”

Presumably Hodgson would quite like a breather from the Ferdinand question, even though the mess he has been trying to find a way out of was not of his making.

Fowler on Ferdinand and Welbeck on injury: Page 21.