With England's defensive corps stretched to the limit, it will come as a relief to their fans that John Terry's foot injury is not as bad as first suspected.
The defender was hurt while training for Chelsea on Wednesday, and it was initially feared he had broken a metatarsal bone. Such an injury would have ruled him out of the World Cup.
However, Chelsea issued a statement later in the day revealing that Terry has suffered only minor ligament damage, and that he will likely be healthy enough to play in Saturday's FA Cup final against Portsmouth.
"I took a slight knock in training but, with such an important match on Saturday, the right course of action was to put a protective boot on my right foot and have a CT scan," Terry said in a statement. "The scan has shown there is no break, and I am hoping to train tomorrow, if not Friday, and of course play in the FA Cup final on Saturday."
England, particularly their defense, have been tormented by the injury bug in the months leading up to the summer tournament.
Rio Ferdinand struggled with fitness throughout the season, and Ledley King has had knee problems, forcing Fabio Capello to recall Liverpool defender Jaime Carragher into the provisional roster. Carragher had retired from international soccer.
Striker Wayne Rooney and midfielder Gareth Barry both suffered ankle injuries toward the end of the domestic seasons.
