England boss Fabio Capello hits back at claims some players 'made up numbers'
Fabio Capello(credit:
ariesmale1978)
England coach Fabio Capello has hit back at claims he treated poorly those players cut from his World Cup squad.
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp claimed the likes of Michael Dawson and Scott Parker were treated like “ghosts” and were there “to make up the numbers” after not getting a single minute of playing time in the two friendlies before Capello confirmed his final 23-man party.
But Capello insisted: “For me, all 30 players who stayed with me in Austria are important, really important for me. I know the value of these players because I chose them.
“Matthew Upson didn’t play but he’s out here in the squad. For me, it was important to find out and learn about all the players as they trained them together.
“It’s not important what other managers think about the players I’ve chosen.”
Dawson, of course, was added to England’s squad on Friday after unfortunate Rio Ferdinand suffered an injury in training.
Ledley King is 5/4 favourite with Coral to start alongside John Terry in England's World Cup opener, while Michael Dawson is 14/1. Matthew Upson is 13/8 with Bet365 and Jamie Carragher 9/2 with William Hill.