Fabio Capello rules out calling up Manuel Almunia for England

Fabio Capello rules out calling up Manuel Almunia for England

Fabio Capello has ruled out calling up Manuel Almunia to the England squad despite growing worries that the lack of a top-class goalkeeper could undermine their prospects at the World Cup finals next summer.

David James and Ben Foster are out of this evening’s friendly against Holland because of injury. James has a nagging knee problem, has just turned 39 and faces a taxing season with Portsmouth, while there are doubts about the credentials of Foster.

The Manchester United goalkeeper, 26, pulled out of the squad on Monday after picking up a knock against Chelsea in the Community Shield the previous day. He was unconvincing at Wembley, was not first-choice at his club last term and has only two senior caps.

Almunia is from Pamplona, but has lived in Britain since joining Arsenal in 2004 and has never played for Spain. That would make him eligible to represent England under Fifa rules.

The 32-year-old said this week that he was considering applying for British citizenship, that the process could be “very quick” and that Theo Walcott, his Arsenal team-mate, had encouraged him to try.

England’s Italian manager, though, bluntly dismissed the idea yesterday. “Almunia, for me, is Spanish. He’s Spanish and plays for the Arsenal team,” Capello said.

Robert Green, the West Ham United goalkeeper, is likely to start in the Amsterdam ArenA, with Paul Robinson, of Blackburn Rovers, and Joe Hart, who is on loan to Birmingham City from Manchester City, on the bench.

Capello said that he already knows his goalkeeper for the 2010 World Cup finals, for which England are within touching distance of qualifying. Robinson aside, the lack of international experience among James’s rivals means that, barring unforeseen circumstances, the manager seems resolved to stick with the Portsmouth veteran.

Steven Gerrard did not board the flight to the Dutch capital because of a slight groin injury suffered in training and Capello said that Ashley Young will replace him on the left side of midfield tonight.

The Aston Villa winger has five England caps but this will be his first start. “I think he’s really important because he’s one of the English players who can dribble and take people on, one to one,” Capello said.

“Against one of the best national teams in the world, it will be really important for him to have the confidence to perform.”

David Beckham is also poised to start because Walcott is struggling with a stomach strain.

The Arsenal winger was unable to participate fully in training last night. Instead, he spent 15 minutes jogging under the scrutiny of Gary Lewin, the England physiotherapist, before heading to the dressing room, while the rest of the squad took part in a full training exercise.

Emile Heskey is also a doubt to partner Wayne Rooney in attack because of an Achilles problem. If Heskey is unavailable, Carlton Cole will replace him.

The timing of this friendly, only three days before the start of the Barclays Premier League season, has drawn criticism from club managers. Capello is sensitive to their concerns and will try to appease them by making six substitutions to minimise fatigue and injury risks.

“When I was a club manager, I said the same [as them],” he said. “I try to help the managers, always. So I hope that they’ll help me in the future. I didn’t decide this date, Fifa did.”

Capello is optimistic that a stern test this evening will be a valuable experience for a developing England side. Holland are the first European team to reach South Africa and, like England, have a perfect record of seven wins from seven World Cup qualifying matches. The memorable 4-1 victory in Euro ’96 is England’s only success against them in 27 years.

“Holland do not have the same quality as Spain, but they have had some really good results, so it is a really important test,” Capello said yesterday.

“It gives us an opportunity to understand what we will have to do if we play against a team with the same style in South Africa.

“Sometimes we play 20 minutes very well. Sometimes we sleep a little bit. We have to play 90 minutes like these 20 minutes. That’s a really important step. It’s about consistency in performance. But, also, I think it is about the opponents.

“We are a really good team who must play with our style, but sometimes we play against really important teams so we have to play with intelligence.”