Aston Villa’s Stephen Warnock could be a surprise inclusion when Fabio Capello names his England World Cup squad later on Tuesday.
Warnock had been rated as extremely doubtful to be on the plane to South Africa after failing to take any part in the two recent warm-up games against Mexico and Japan.
With only six minutes’ international experience – as a substitute against Trinidad and Tobago in 2008 – Warnock currently has the shortest England career on record and did not seem likely to increase that tally in South Africa given Leighton Baines featured against Mexico and in the friendly against Egypt in March.