Trio of injury worries for England

RUSTENBURG - Wayne Rooney, Aaron Lennon and Michael Carrick are all carrying ankle injuries and are doubtfuls for England’s Round-of-16 World Cup fixture with Germany, it emerged Thursday.

With the exception of Joe Cole, who came on as a second-half substitute, only those who hadn’t played in Wednesday’s 1-0 win over Slovenia trained at the Bafokeng Sports Palace.

Rooney was forced off after 70 minutes with an ankle injury. “I substituted Wayne because his ankle was not so good,” Capello said after the game.

“He had some problems. I changed the team, substituted him and we will check with the doctor but I think he will be fine on Sunday. I am not worried.”

Midfielder Carrick and winger Lennon, though, were also missing, with a squad insider suggesting England might be glad of the extra day of rest they’ve been granted by only finishing second in Group C.

Defender Ledley King, who suffered a groin injury in England’s first game, was back in field training, but did not kick a ball and is not a realistic option for the Germany game Sunday.