England will monitor King injury

Highlights - England 1-1 USA

England's Ledley King will be monitored on a daily basis after it was confirmed he suffered a "groin strain" against the United States on Saturday.

The defender did not take part in training on Monday and England boss Fabio Capello said King would miss Friday's Group C game against Algeria.

A minor tear could take three weeks to heal but the Football Association said it was a "groin muscle strain".

Wayne Rooney did not take part in the session because of an ankle knock.

The Manchester United striker and left-back Ashley Cole appeared for training with the rest of the squad but after an initial address by Capello, they and King headed back indoors to work in the swimming pool.

Rooney's injury is not thought to be serious, while Cole has been missing full training after a game to help his recovery from a broken ankle he suffered in February.

The rest of the group, meanwhile, began training on the pitch, with midfielder Gareth Barry - who sat out England's opener against the US because of an ankle problem - among them.

PHIL MCNULTY BLOG Capello's show of faith in Ledley King has come under serious examination, on fitness rather than footballing grounds

Tottenham centre-back King, 29, damaged the muscle in the first half against the US but carried on until the break.

While it has not been confirmed whether he could play again in South Africa, the minimum recovery period for a minor tear would be three weeks, meaning King would be unable to play until the quarter-finals, which begin on 2 July.

"Ledley King actually pulled the injury in the third or fourth minute of the match so he could easily have aggravated it in that period," said BBC Radio 5 live football reporter Ian Dennis.

"As a general rule, if it is a grade one groin tear it would mean he is out for three weeks. If it's a grade two then it is four to six weeks and if it's a complete rupture it would mean surgery."

After this week's game against Algeria, England face Slovenia in their final group match on 23 June.

King was replaced by Jamie Carragher in Saturday's match but the Liverpool defender looked rusty after being outpaced by US striker Jozy Altidore, who then hit the post in the second half.

Gerrard 'shocked' by USA goal

England can also call upon Matthew Upson or Michael Dawson to partner former captain John Terry in the heart of their defence.

However, the news about King has further exposed the limitations at centre-back after Rio Ferdinand was ruled out of the World Cup when injuring his knee only a few days before the tournament started.

England cannot now call upon another player to join their squad because any replacements could only be made up to 24 hours before a nation's first game.

King has had long-standing problems with his knee, limiting his ability to train as often as other members of the squad and play back-to-back matches.

But those fears were allayed after the Londoner came through three games in a week for Spurs towards the conclusion of the 2009/2010 Premier League season.

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