McClaren turns to Johnson as England’s striker shortage hits home

STEVE McClaren has turned to Andrew Johnson to solve England’s striker shortage.

Johnson is back in the international squad for the Euro 2008 qualifiers against Andorra and Macedonia.

The £8.6 million (€12.7 million) Everton striker has not played for his country for more than a year but he has won a recall because Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen and Dean Ashton are all missing.

Michael Carrick returns to the squad after injury but McClaren is without injured defenders Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher.

Neville is out with a calf problem and Carragher damaged his ankle ligaments on the opening day of the season against Sheffield United.

Joe Cole hoped to be fit but, after a discussion with Jose Mourinho, McClaren has accepted the Chelsea midfielder will not be ready.

England take on minnows Andorra at Old Trafford a week today and then travel to Skopje to face Macedonia on Wednesday September 6.

McClaren, who named his squad yesterday, is expected to start with Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe up front.

Charlton’s Darren Bent keeps his place in the squad but Johnson has the chance to add to his two caps.

Johnson scored on his Everton debut against Watford, last weekend, and impressed against Blackburn in midweek, in front of McClaren.

Rooney is suspended from both games because of his red card in the World Cup quarter-final and McClaren is short of options up front.

Owen will miss most of the season with a knee injury and Ashton broke his ankle on the eve of the friendly against Greece, earlier this month, when McClaren was set to hand him a first cap.

Carrick missed the Greece game with an ankle injury but returned to make his Manchester United debut at Charlton in midweek.

Gary Neville’s absence with a calf injury means McClaren must choose between Phil Neville or Luke Young at right back, although Wes Brown can also play there. Theo Walcott and Scott Carson, who both went to the World Cup, are in the U-21 squad.

Squad: Robinson (Tottenham), Kirkland (Liverpool), Foster (Man Utd), A Cole (Arsenal), Young (Charlton), P Neville (Everton), Bridge (Chelsea), Terry (Chelsea), Ferdinand (Man Utd), Brown (Man Utd), Dawson (Tottenham), Lampard (Chelsea), Hargreaves (Bayern Munich), Carrick (Man Utd), Gerrard (Liverpool), Jenas (Tottenham), Wright-Phillips (Chelsea), Richardson (Man Utd), Downing (Middlesbrough), Lennon (Tottenham), Defoe (Tottenham), Bent (Charlton), Johnson (Everton), Crouch (Liverpool).