Fabio Capello was said to be angry last night after learning that Steven Gerrard needs a groin operation which will rule him out of England's first two World Cup qualifiers and being told by Sir Alex Ferguson that it would be "impossible" for Owen Hargreaves to replace the midfielder against Andorra and Croatia.
The England manager is understood to have been shocked by news on Wednesday night that Gerrard needs surgery, having had no inkling of that from Liverpool. Although he accepts that the operation is necessary, an apparent lack of communication is believed to have upset him.
Liverpool's manager, Rafael Benítez, has said that the player went to this month's international against the Czech Republic with the problem and that Gerrard agreed on Tuesday, in conjunction with the club doctor, that he would need surgery after the following night's Champions League qualifier against Standard Liège.
To add to Capello's problems, Ferguson is insisting Hargreaves cannot be considered by the England manager to fill in for Gerrard. Capello is in Monaco tonight and will see Hargreaves play his first game of the season when Manchester United face Zenit St Petersburg in the Super Cup. However, Ferguson believes it will be a wasted trip for Capello if the Italian is there exclusively to check on the midfielder.
Hargreaves has been troubled by a persistent problem with tendinitis over the past 16 months and missed all of United's pre-season build-up. "I think it is impossible for him to play for England," said Ferguson. "That's my personal opinion. This will be his first start and I won't be playing him for the full game. It depends on how he feels at half-time, but it certainly won't be any more than an hour.
"He will have to have a recovery period. I think it will be very, very unlikely that Fabio would risk him. OK, they kick off the group against Andorra, but as they found out last time they struggled in that game. And then they have to go and play in Croatia. That is a very, very difficult match. You need players who are 100% match fit to play in a game of that nature.
"I don't think he is ready for that. In fact we know he is not ready for that. He will need to get a proper recovery, get proper training. If it wasn't such an important game you could say, 'Well, give him a bit of a game,' but I can't see it. It is too important for Capello and England."
Capello, whose hitherto sound relationship with Premier League managers may be strained by this week's developments, could choose to call up Hargreaves and have him checked by England's medical team. The loss of Gerrard is certainly a blow to the Italian, who on Wednesday had been briefing Sunday newspaper reporters about his plans for the Liverpool captain. He is said to have learned about Gerrard's need for surgery in a call from Gary Lewin, the England physio, after Liverpool's game against Liège.
Yesterday Capello's assistant, Franco Baldini, contacted Liverpool and Gerrard to clarify the extent of hisinjury after Benítez's revelation that the midfielder needs an operation which will sideline him for "10 to 15 days". Benítez initially said the surgery would be done yesterday, but it will proceed today.
After confirmation from Gerrard that he has been playing in pain this season, there is an acceptance that surgery at some stage was unavoidable. A healthy relationship has tended to exist between the FA and Liverpool's medical department courtesy of Mark Waller, doctor to the club and to England Under-21s.
Meanwhile, work on Liverpool's proposed new 60,000-seat stadium is expected to be delayed as a result of the economic downturn and the owners' struggle to raise at least ...#65533;£300m required to proceed with the project. The construction, which is estimated at more than...#65533;£400m, was due to start in October with a completion date set for the start of the 2011-12 season.
Liverpool expect to tie up the loose ends of Albert Riera's proposed £8m move from Espanyol today, with Spanish winger having been set a deadline of Friday by his club to finalise the move.
