From an unlikely position of strength, with his clutch of young Manchester United players, including Tom Cleverley, pushing for places and his midfield still to be bolstered by the return of Steven Gerrard and Jack Wilshere, Capello has the luxury of being able to take a hard line.

'The first two games he [Lampard] played [in the Premier League] were not good,' said Capello. 'The last one was better. I need to choose the player who is in a good moment of form. I told you [that] before the match.

'Lampard is one of the best English midfielders. It is the start of the season. He needs to play more games. I remember a player like Frank Rijkaard [at AC Milan]. For the first two months of the season he was not like a player. After time he found his form and he was a good player. He is improving.

'Lampard is a professional and when he came on, he was really focused and played really well, like James Milner. But all the players did well. The spirit of the group was really good. I will be happy when all these players [including Gerrard and Wilshere] are fit. They [all] need to accept my decision.'

In reality, this change had been signposted in June since the night Lampard was withdrawn against Switzerland at half-time, when Scott Parker and Wilshere were preferred as the central midfield two.

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