FRANCE 98 – General Media News Template

England midfielder Paul Ince is struggling to be fit for Saturday’s World Cup warm-up international against Saudi Arabia with an ankle problem.

The Liverpool player is rated “doubtful”   by England coach Glenn Hoddle for the Wembley clash.

Hoddle said: “He didn’t play the last game of the season for Liverpool and he has not trained for two weeks. The ankle needs to be looked at closely over the next few days. Realistically I would say that Paul might miss Saturday as things stand but he has got time to get fit and recover.” 

England reported to their training headquarters near London on Tuesday for the countdown to France ‘98, with further internationals to follow next week in Morocco against the host nation and Belgium. It is a big week for Paul Gascoigne, Ian Wright, Les Ferdinand and Darren Anderton who are striving to prove their fitness and convince Hoddle that they should be in his final 22 after recent injury problems. Ince’s Liverpool team-mate Jamie Redknapp has even more to prove and Hoddle has given him a Friday deadline to prove his World Cup availability after an ankle problem.