England V Japan -- Live!

Fabio Capello set to give Tom Huddlestone and Darren Bent last chance
•Fabio Capello says all but three of World Cup squad decided
•England coach demands improvement against Japan

By Dominic Fifield/The Guardian

Darren Bent will be given a final chance to stake his claim for a World Cup place when England play Japan. Photograph: Michael Regan/Getty Images

Fabio Capello will hand Tom Huddlestone and Darren Bent surprise opportunities to force their way into his final 23-man squad for the World Cup finals after indicating both will start this afternoon's friendly against Japan in Graz.

The England manager revealed that he has decided all but three places in his party for South Africa and remains confident Gareth Barry will recover from ankle ligament damage to play a part in the tournament. The Manchester City midfielder will be assessed by a specialist in London on Tuesday and will be included if the diagnosis suggests he can start full training on 13 June, the day after England's opening game against the United States.

The likes of Huddlestone and Bent will still cling to the possibility of joining him at the team's base in Rustenburg as Capello weighs up his strength in depth in central midfield, an area complicated by Barry's injury, and whether he should include five out-and-out forwards. "I have made up my mind, more or less," said the Italian. "I have 20 names, for sure. I must decide on the other three. For now, I want to see different players and to see how the team reacts to the game against Mexico.

"I was not happy after that game and we spoke about it, analysed the mistakes, and now I want to see some players, a different style and what will happen during the game with Huddlestone, Bent, [David] James and [Aaron] Lennon. I want to see Huddlestone because the midfield is very important for the balance of the team, and players there get more touches than anyone else. But someone could get injured, so we still have to decide about one defender, one midfielder and one forward.

"With Barry, we will see what the doctor says after his last check on Tuesday. The last news we had was very good, but we want to wait. After that check, we'll know if he'll be fit in a short time and ready to train with us, or whether he will not. I don't know if he is able to run on the ankle yet, but he must show us he will be able to train normally the day after our first game, against the United States. He is doing a lot of physiotherapy to get the movement going, and following what the doctor says without pressure."

Capello used Lennon on the left of midfield in training yesterday, with Theo Walcott on the opposite flank, and will explore that attacking option today with Steven Gerrard starting on the bench. Joe Cole, who has not represented his country for 20 months, will play the second half and there could yet be opportunities for Scott Parker, Michael Dawson, Stephen Warnock and Emile Heskey to impress after the break.

"Joe is fresh and needs to recover his normal situation on the pitch because he has not played much for a long time," said Capello. "But he is like a lot of these players: I know their value. I have followed them during the season but, in the end, I have to decide which players to take. I will telephone those that I am leaving out on Tuesday morning, and it will be disappointing to tell them because they've all worked hard here."


"Everyone feels he is auditioning for a part," said the captain, Rio Ferdinand, who experienced the numbing disappointment of being omitted at the last ahead of Euro 2000. "I remember the sense of embarrassment I had back then. My pride was hurt that I wasn't in the squad, but I looked at myself and I knew what I needed to do. I had a clear picture from then on of what I needed to do in my career. If I hadn't reacted, I might have been playing in the lower-leagues now. It spurred me on to work harder.

"In the November after that tournament, I went to Leeds [from West Ham for £18m]. I'd begun to train harder and thought about football more. I wasn't going round to my mates' houses until two in the morning playing computer games and listening to music. I was more serious about football. That moment was a big part in making me what I am now. I'm not on the rave scene like I used to be, I'm not the go-to man that I was. I learned from that disappointment."

Ferdinand is now set to emulate Sir Bobby Charlton in gaining selection for a fourth World Cup finals and will seek to see an improvement today upon Monday's sloppy display against Mexico. "Back in 2006 we beat Jamaica, a side that weren't even going to the tournament, 6-0 just before the finals and we were going to be world beaters," he added. "We have a better sense of perspective this time around."