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From Richard Williams

on Jeju Island

SINCE the island of Jeju does not have a football team of its own, its singularly beautiful new stadium near the town of Seogwipu will be rented out for a variety of uses after the World Cup, with the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Reverend Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church apparently lined up to use it for mass gatherings of the faithful.

But there was already plenty of praying going on yesterday when England's halt and lame went through their exercises during the last training session before today's warm-up match against South Korea.

The sight of David Beckham balancing on a miniature trampoline and Kieron Dyer running up and down the concrete steps of the stadium while the remainder of the England squad practised was a reminder that Sven-Goran Eriksson may be in for a few sleepless hours of contemplation after today's game.

Eriksson has until midnight strikes on the cuckoo clocks of distant Zurich to fax his final choice of 23 England players to FIFA's Swiss headquarters. The time difference means that he will have about 10 hours after the match in which to make any last-minute decisions.

Since Beckham and Dyer are both in the middle of their rehabilitation, apparently proceeding on schedule, the composition of the squad is likely to remain as it has been since Steven Gerrard was ruled out of contention on the last weekend of the season.

But even then the coach will have another 11 days in which to limit the damage wrought by injuries.

Until 24 hours before England's opening match, which is to say until 6.30 p.m. local time on Saturday June 1st, he can replace as many players as he likes, as long as each departing squad member is accompanied by a medical certificate confirming that he is not fit enough to complete the tournament. If either Beckham or Dyer failed to answer the final call at that stage, Trevor Sinclair would be upgraded from the status of travelling reserve.

Beckham and Dyer will be joined on the sidelines tonight by Nicky Butt, who is recovering from a strained knee ligament. "Sven is looking to give as much time as possible to the injured players," Steve McClaren, one of his assistant coaches, said yesterday. "He intends to leave the decisions to the last possible moment."

There was better news about Sol Campbell and Martin Keown, who returned to training after treatment for a gashed shin and a bruised foot respectively, while Robbie Fowler was said by McClaren to be "very, very close" to completing his recovery from a hip injury and took part in most of yesterday afternoon's session.

The temperature in Jeju has been in the mid-20s during the day, to the relief of the players, who trained in Dubai in extreme heat. Dyer would certainly not have been running up and down grandstand steps with similar alacrity in the Gulf.

Yesterday Beckham went through an intense sequence of exercises under the supervision of Alan Smith, a physiotherapist who has worked with England squads under several managerial regimes.

One day at a time is the attitude to his recovery. "You've got to let nature take its course," McClaren said. "We have the best possible medical team out here, and he's getting the best treatment. But David's a naturally fit boy."

McClaren came to know Beckham well during his years as Alex Ferguson's number two. "In any of the fitness tests we had at Manchester United," the coach said, "David invariably came out on top.

"I've seen him return from injury many times, and his fitness level never goes down. The only thing he'll be lacking is match practice."

Another player with some experience in the business of coming back from injury is Michael Owen, who took over the captaincy from the absent Beckham against Paraguay.

Had he ever come back too soon? "No," he said. "And even if you delay coming back for an extra two weeks, the next couple of games will be just the same. You need a game or two to get your confidence back."

He was clearly delighted to be retaining the armband for today's match. "It just gets better and better," he said. "But obviously I want David to be fit enough to take it off me in time for the Sweden match."

Asked about the risk of injuries in the two friendlies before England face Eriksson's home country, the acting captain stressed the value of the encounters. "Every game we play together is important," he said.

A capacity crowd will assemble today in a ground set between the mist-cloaked Mount Hallasan and the sparkling East China Sea. Designed by the architect Hwang Li-lin to reflect the outline of the small volcanos that dot Jeju island, and with one stand shaded by a long, tapering canopy in the shape of an upturned fishing boat, the stadium will one day be the scene of the Moonie cult's mass weddings. England will simply hope to get out of there today without undue impediment.

Guardian Service