Sven-Goran Eriksson said "it could have been a better Sunday morning", which was putting things mildly after medical bulletins yesterday ripped apart England's midfield and dealt his World Cup hopes a serious blow.
Newcastle's Kieron Dyer will miss the tournament because of a knee injury sustained at Southampton on Saturday and Steven Gerrard may not make it to Japan because of a groin problem.
Dyer, who looked certain to play on the troublesome left flank, had ligaments damaged by Tahar El Khalej's wild challenge and his ill-luck has elevated Danny Murphy to the squad. West Ham's Trevor Sinclair is on stand-by while Eriksson awaits news on Gerrard from a Belgian specialist the midfielder is visiting.
The Liverpool player aggravated a groin problem against Ipswich on Saturday that has troubled him since February and will discover whether he needs an operation. The damage proved far worse than originally suspected and the portents do not look promising.
Even if Gerrard does not require surgery, significant doubts would remain about his ability to play a full part in Japan. As Eriksson said: "We \ have to know exactly when he will be fit again for practising and how big the chances are that after one game or after 30 minutes - like on Saturday - he will be out for two weeks again."
With David Beckham recovering from a foot injury, Paul Scholes is the only fit first-choice midfielder today as the squad fly to Dubai for a training camp. Nicky Butt, the obvious understudy to Gerrard, has a knee problem but is hopeful, like Beckham, of being fit for the opening game against Sweden on June 2nd.
Dyer's injury is a blow for England and the 23-year-old, whose stop-start season had at least promised to end on a high. He was just over half an hour from completing Newcastle's final match when El Khalej's tackle forced him off on a stretcher.
Eriksson said Dyer was "very, very low". He will contact the player on Friday and spoke of the possibility of a "miracle" but he recognises there is no realistic hope, despite the Newcastle manager Bobby Robson saying the scan did not seem "too bad", that Dyer is a "great healer" and "you never know".
Dyer will begin treatment at Newcastle today but Eriksson said: "Physios and doctors agree that it will take at least four weeks before he can start working properly like a footballer and by then we are playing [the final group game against] Nigeria."
The Swede refused to condemn El Khalej. "It's very, very bad that it happened to a player who was going to the World Cup," he said. "But I don't think we should try to be moralist. Things like that happen. I'm sure no one wanted to hurt another player."
Eriksson has been aware of Gerrard's groin problem but, if the injury was not a shock, it remains a grave disappointment. Gerrard's dynamism would be missed and Dyer's absence has reopened the debate about who should fill in on the left. Eriksson said he was aware Wayne Bridge and Ashley Cole have played in midfield and added that Joe Cole is ready for the World Cup. He gave no clues to his thinking, though, beside making clear his positive frame of mind.
"Gerrard and Dyer are top-class football players not only in England but in the world," Eriksson said. "But I'm not that kind of person who's sitting down crying and saying: 'Bad luck, bad luck'. It was bad luck but we go there with 23 and we will do good work."
Sinclair will now be going to Dubai. Anyone else required to cover for injuries will come from the Under-21 squad which is preparing for the European Championship starting on Friday. That way England are guaranteed a player still in training.
Eriksson defended his decision to select more defenders than midfielders - "We have at least two defenders who might play in midfield and at least one attacker who can play in midfield" - and knows selection is tricky for the final warm-up matches against South Korea and Cameroon.
