Hodgson forced to eject Lampard from Euro squad

There was a pessimistic feeling around the Three Lions camp on Wednesday night over the chances of a scan into the injury Lampard suffered during only his second day of training offering good news.

And so it has proved.

Manager Roy Hodgson has been informed the tear Lampard sustained would not heal in time for the Chelsea midfielder to feature in any of England’s three group games, the last of which is against co-hosts Ukraine in Donetsk on June 19.

It left Hodgson with little option other than to tell Champions League winner Lampard he was out, just three days after he lost Gareth Barry to a stomach injury, meaning England have been robbed of 143 caps in central midfield in the space of 72 hours.

If that was not bad enough, it is understood the form of Scott Parker is giving cause for concern as well.

Parker missed the final four games of Tottenham’s Premier League campaign with an Achilles injury that required an injection just over a fortnight ago.

The discomfort had eased sufficiently for Parker to play in Norway, when Hodgson admitted to “pushing” the midfielder through an additional 15 minutes after his planned first-half outing.

There is no question either of Parker missing tomorrow’s final friendly with Belgium at Wembley and, further mishaps permitting, the Group D opener against France in Donetsk on June 11.

However, the 31-year-old’s form is a concern within the England camp as it is felt Parker is not back to the standard he was earlier in the season.

A lack of mobility was noted from Parker in Norway and it is accepted it will now be a battle to get the player back to his peak for the France game, which England must also face without suspended star striker Wayne Rooney.

Subject to UEFA clearance, Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson will replace Lampard.

However, the Liverpool man was making only his second international appearance in Oslo.

Indeed, Henderson’s selection as a standby player was questioned by many given he did not have the best of debut campaigns with Liverpool, even if he was usually played out of position by erstwhile boss Kenny Dalglish.

“It’s a huge blow for the team, especially coming after the loss of another senior player in Gareth Barry,” said Hodgson.

“The fact that the doctor cannot guarantee Frank could take part in any of the group matches means we have to replace him in the central midfield area.

“Apart from it being a huge blow to me and the team, I’m especially disappointed for Frank himself,” he said.

“He has been in very good form and was looking forward to the tournament.

“He made a huge contribution towards us qualifying for the Euros so it is cruel to be forced out through injury just before the tournament.”

It puts more significance on the absences of Manchester United duo Michael Carrick and Paul Scholes, although Hodgson last week said the former did not want to be selected if he was not going to get an integral role and felt the latter was probably of the same opinion.

Nevertheless, yesterday’s news puts additional responsibility on the shoulders of captain Steven Gerrard, particularly with the worries over Parker.

Other than Henderson, Hodgson’s only other options are Phil Jones, who occupied a central midfield berth in England’s momentous win over Spain at Wembley in November, and Manchester City’s James Milner, who tends to occupy wider positions.

Long-term, the news could have severe consequences for Lampard’s England career.

He will be 36 by the time the next World Cup reaches its conclusion and with the likes of Jack Wilshere, Jack Rodwell and Tom Cleverley all keen to pursue their international careers, Lampard’s place in the squad to face Moldova and Ukraine next September in the first round of qualifiers cannot be taken for granted.

Aaway from the training ground, Gary Neville has revealed his former boss Sir Alex Ferguson gave his official seal of approval to the latest member of England’s coaching team.

The Manchester United manager has frequently clashed with the Football Association over their handling of his players.

Only recently he told them none of the over-23s in his squad, with the exception of Ryan Giggs, would be released for duty with the Great Britain Olympic team.

He has also grumbled about the number of times Rooney is presented before the media on England duty, in addition to the general treatment of players such as David Beckham in times gone by.

So it is easy to imagine Ferguson might have tried to talk Neville out of joining Hodgson’s backroom team when the opportunity arose a couple of weeks ago.

But when Neville went to see his old boss, the Scot already knew. And he thought it was a great idea.

“Sir Alex was very positive about it,” said Neville.

“He felt the role that Roy was speaking about would be very good for me.

“I went to see him on the Saturday morning before United played Sunderland.

“I had already made my mind up but I wanted him to be one of the first people I told.

“I was panicking, as you do walking into his office, but, as per usual, he already knew. It is typical really.”