England sweat over Lampard Euro 2012 KO
ENGLAND midfielder Frank Lampard will today undergo a scan on a thigh injury as manager Roy Hodgson braces himself for a second major blow to his plans for the looming European Championship.
Chelsea star Lampard suffered the problem in training yesterday, just 24 hours after joining the squad, raising grave doubts over his fitness for the tournament, which starts on 8 June.
Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson, 21, has been placed on stand-by for an emergency call-up as England prepare for their final warm-up, against Belgium at Wembley on Saturday, before flying to Poland.
Hodgson has already lost one senior midfielder in Manchester City’s Gareth Barry, who withdrew on Monday with a stomach muscle tear, as the manager prepares for his first tournament in charge.
If Lampard, 33, is ruled out, Hodgson is permitted to call on a replacement at any time before England’s opening match against France in Donetsk on 11 June, provided doctors from European chiefs Uefa verify the injury.
Withdrawal threatens to deprive Lampard of a final major tournament, and could prompt him to consider retiring from international football after 90 caps in order to prolong his club career at Stamford Bridge.
It would also mark a sour ending to a rollercoaster season for the former West Ham trainee, who had to fight to win his place back in the Chelsea side before helping them to FA Cup and Champions League glory.
A squad missing Lampard, Barry and Rio Ferdinand deprives England of a wealth of experience, although captain Steven Gerrard, John Terry, Ashley Cole and Wayne Rooney are seasoned campaigners.
Former France coach Raymond Domenech, meanwhile, has delivered a withering assessment of England’s current crop. Domenech said France would find it “easy” to win their group fixture against Hodgson’s men, whom he added “have no quality”.