LONDON: Stoke defender Ryan Shawcross was selected in England s squad on Saturday for the friendly against Egypt shortly after being sent off for a horrific challenge on Aaron Ramsey that left the Arsenal midfielder with a suspected broken leg.
Coach Fabio Capello delayed announcing his squad by 40 minutes for Wednesday s match at Wembley Stadium to discuss with assistant Franco Baldini the impact of calling up Shawcross following the incident in the Premier League match.
Shawcross has never played for the England senior team, but could feature alongside former captain John Terry in central defense due to injuries to Rio Ferdinand and Gary Cahill.
Leighton Baines replaces Wayne Bridge after the Manchester City defender quit international football due to John Terry s alleged affair with his former partner.
Bridge would likely have started due to Ashley Cole s injury, but Baines or Stephen Warnock will now feature at left back.
Warnock s only previous international was a six-minute appearance as a substitute against Trinidad and Tobago in June 2008, while Baines is yet to appear for the England senior side but has impressed for Everton this season.
A notable absentee is Chelsea winger Joe Cole, who is yet to find top form since returning in September from an eight-month injury layoff.
There are some problems for him because he is not back like the player I remember, Capello said. We have to wait, maybe in the last two months (before the World Cup) he will improve a lot.
Capello also has reservations about Theo Walcott, but the Arsenal winger made the squad despite not having played for England since June.
He is not in a fantastic moment. But I think he is getting better and better every time because he needs to play, Capello said.
Aston Villa midfielder Stewart Downing, who won the last of his 23 caps against Slovakia a year, has also been recalled.
David Beckham, the on-loan AC Milan midfielder, can make his 116th England appearance after impressing Capello against former club Manchester United in the Champions League.
He played well, he changed the style during the game, Capello said. He is really dangerous. He can play wide and can cross. Every cross he does is really dangerous for defenders and the keeper.
(Coach) Leonardo put him in midfield because he needed players with different qualities.
Capello has chosen Egypt for one of three friendlies to prepare for the World Cup because the African champions share qualities with Algeria, a group opponent in South Africa.
I watched the African Nations Cup on TV – I think they are a really good team, Capello said. They are really dangerous when they go forward. They will cause some problems that we will have to defend.
It is important to us to understand the value of teams like Algeria.
Steven Gerrard will captain England because of the injury to Ferdinand, who assumed the armband after Capello sacked Terry earlier this month.
SquadGoalkeepers: David James (Portsmouth), Robert Green (West Ham), Joe Hart (Birmingham).Defenders: Wes Brown (Manchester United), John Terry (Chelsea), Matthew Upson (West Ham), Joleon Lescott (Manchester City), Ryan Shawcross (Stoke), Leighton Baines (Everton), Stephen Warnock (Aston Villa).Midfielders: Gareth Barry (Manchester City), David Beckham (AC Milan), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City), James Milner (Aston Villa), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Stewart Downing (Aston Villa).Strikers: Carlton Cole (West Ham), Peter Crouch (Tottenham), Emile Heskey (Aston Villa), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham).
