No rift with United, says England assistant boss
National team boss Sven-Goran Eriksson learned on Saturday his key central defender would miss the European Championship double-header with Slovakia and Macedonia after deciding on surgery to rectify a problem which has been plaguing the United defender since the start of the season.
Unfortunately for Eriksson, the news arrived just hours after he had informed journalists there were no fitness doubts surrounding his squad, leading to claims that Ferguson had withheld vital information which had inadvertently caused embarrassment to the England manager.
Manchester United officials, mindful of the row which erupted after Ferguson told Eriksson that midfielder Paul Scholes would not be fit to face Portugal last month, only to name him in a Premiership starting line-up 24 hours later, quickly dismissed those suggestions. They insisted Eriksson had been told as soon as the news had been confirmed from within the United camp and yesterday Grip insisted there were no arguments over the timing of Ferdinand’s operation.
‘‘If Rio Ferdinand needs an operation, then he needs one. United must choose when is the best time,” he said. ‘‘It is their choice and we fully understand why they are doing it. We have some good substitutes in that position because Gareth Southgate and Ugo Ehiogu are playing as well as they have ever done.”
While Southgate is likely to win the battle of the Middlesbrough pair to partner Sol Campbell at the heart of England’s defence on Saturday, Blackburn’s David Thompson will be seen as a long shot to make his debut.
The Liverpool-born midfielder, snapped up from Coventry for just £1.5 million by Blackburn boss Graeme Souness shortly before the transfer deadline, was the shock replacement for Trevor Sinclair after the West Ham man pulled out through injury. Grip admits he did not have a clue who Thompson was when he watched him in action against Manchester City a month ago, but he made an instant imprint on the Swede with a stunning goal in the 2-2 draw.
His battling qualities were well to the fore in that encounter too. Thompson was on the end of Danny Tiatto’s wicked two-footed lunge which saw the Australian dismissed after just six minutes on the field.
Grip explained that the notable absences of Joe Cole and Lee Bowyer from the England party were purely down to form. Cole will gain valuable experience with David Platt’s under-21 outfit, while Bowyer, Grip believes, is struggling with his new central role.
However, he insisted the energetic Leeds man will be given more chances to add to the cap he won against the Portuguese.
