Gerrard World Cup scare for England

Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard has given England an injury scare ahead of the World Cup.

Gerrard limped off in the first half against Ipswich at Anfield, and manager Gerard Houllier confirmed that it was a recurrence of the groin injury that has dogged him all season.

But Houllier said: ‘‘I will give Sven-Goran Eriksson my advice if he wants it, but they should be able to sort out Steven’s problem in Dubai.’’

England are due to fly to Dubai on Monday and then on to South Korea on Saturday for a friendly

against the joint hosts.

England’s first World Cup match is on June 2 against Sweden, little more than three weeks away.

Gerrard’s fitness has been a constant worry for the England boss with opinion suggesting that the Liverpool star may not be able to stand the pressures of an intense tournament with so many matches.

An injury now to one of his key players is the last thing Eriksson wants and it is clear Gerrard will have constant treatment while in Dubai.

Houllier explained: ‘‘It’s the same injury as before. The players are no longer mine now, they are Sven’s. It is up to him what he does.

‘‘We were mindful of the players going to the World Cup. We told them to tell us if they felt anything, any twinges, and we would get them straight off.

‘‘That’s what we did because there was no way that we would be taking any risks.’’

Houllier even left Gerrard out at Spurs a fortnight ago, despite the player insisting he was all right to play, rather than risk damage.

That defeat at Tottenham virtually cost Liverpool the title, their only defeat in a 11-match run that saw them win the other 10, which underlines Houllier’s commitment to Eriksson’s cause.

But Houllier was still delighted with second spot.

He said: ‘‘We made it! Some people said we have no silverware, but we got 80 points which is the same as Manchester United last year when they won the title.

‘‘And it’s two more than Arsenal when they last won the title. From our point of view it’s 11 more than we achieved last season. That’s progress.

‘‘I hope Ipswich come back quickly, they are a good team and play some fine football. They had their chances against us so they could never be under-estimated.

‘‘To get to the Champions League quarter-finals was also an achievement. Last season we won three trophies but getting to the group stages of the Champions League is more important to me. The league table doesn’t tell lies.’’

Ipswich manager George Burley said: ‘‘We have been relegated because we played great stuff but missed chances. If you miss chances and concede goals as we did here, you go down.

‘‘I couldn’t believe we were two down at the break after the way we played in the first half. But they had world class finishing and a world class team.

‘‘We showed we had quality and I believe we can come straight back. We have a good squad of players and although we will have to listen to some offers and some may want to stay in the Premiership, there will not be wholesale changes. That’s reality.’’