Roy Hodgson is facing a midfield crisis ahead of Euro 2012, with Frank Lampard now ruled out of the tournament along with Gareth Barry while concerns persist over Scott Parker.

The England manager said the news was a ‘huge blow’ before calling up Jordan Henderson last night. There is also worry inside the camp that Parker could start the tournament still some way short of the player he was for Tottenham  earlier this season because of an achilles problem.

Stepping up: Jordan Henderson is now on his way to Euro 2012

He played just one minute of his club’s last four games, and while he did manage an hour against Norway on  Saturday — thanks to injections in the achilles — it was obvious there remains much room for improvement. Not least when it comes to the  31-year-old’s mobility.

Barring any further setbacks, Parker will start against Belgium tomorrow and against France in England’s opening group game on June 11.

But it is a far from satisfactory situation for Hodgson when he will have only Phil Jones and Henderson in reserve to play
alongside skipper Steven Gerrard.

« Previous12345678Next »