Campbell doubtful for England qualifiers

ARSENAL defender Sol Campbell has been rated as a major doubt for England’s World Cup qualifiers against Northern Ireland and Azerbaijan later this month.

Campbell is already ruled out for at least the next fortnight with an ankle problem, with Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger admitting the defender "has not played enough this season."

However, despite missing Campbell's influence amid defensive frailties, Wenger is determined not to rush him back too quickly because his "heavy build" puts so much strain on his strained ankle. Campbell will miss today's Premiership game against Portsmouth, Wednesday's Champions League tie against Bayern Munich and next weekend's FA Cup sixth round tie at Bolton. The earliest he could return is at Blackburn on March 19.