John Terry is in danger of missing the European Championship as Roy Hodgson agonises over whether he can have both the Chelsea captain and Rio Ferdinand in his squad.
The new England manager still plans to speak to the centre backs before naming his squad a week today and only after having those conversations — neither of which have taken place yet — will he decide on the best way forward.
But as Sportsmail revealed last week, Hodgson thinks it will be difficult to take both of them when Terry’s trial for a racially aggravated public order offence that involves Ferdinand’s brother, Anton, will not take place until after the tournament.
Terry strenuously denies racially abusing Anton at Loftus Road in October but Chelsea’s request to Westminster Magistrates Court to delay the trial until July has presented the Football Association with a huge selection problem. It was a key reason why Terry was stripped of the captaincy in the first place. Hodgson has a tough decision, for while Joleon Lescott and Gary Cahill will be pushing for a place, right now Ferdinand and Terry probably remain the best centre halves in the country.
The potentially toxic atmosphere inside the England dressing room means that of the two, Terry may be more vulnerable than Ferdinand because of how other players in the squad view him. There is also the fact that Terry, while insisting only last week that he will never turn his back on England, is clearly unhappy with how the FA have treated him.
He feels aggrieved at again being denied the chance to captain his country at a major tournament, while also thanking Hodgson’s predecessor, Fabio Capello, for the support he received from him.
Both players will know they risk talking themselves out of a place on the plane to Krakow on June 6. They will feel they have to box clever, which in itself will not make Hodgson’s decision any easier. – Daily Mail