Neville could miss kick-off

Meanwhile, Eriksson has hailed Rio Ferdinand as the best defender at the World Cup finals. The Leeds centre-back has been linked with a £25million move to Manchester United and Eriksson believes he is well worth the money.

The England coach said: "I think Rio is as good as anyone in football. He is one of the best you can find on the market and he will get better and better. He's only 23.

"He had a good season with Leeds and has always played very well for England. Against Argentina he was good all game but especially in the last 10 minutes."

Although Ferdinand led the way with his calm presence and assured passing in Sapporo, Eriksson was impressed with the performance of his entire back-four.

"I've not asked Rio to be the organiser," Eriksson said. "I told both Sol and Rio to talk, talk, talk, all the time. They need to talk to each other when they are defending free-kicks and corners and to make sure they are in the right positions.

"Danny Mills and Ashley Cole were excellent as well. They're playing well together as a four. I don't even think about changing them for the next game. They've played well together for three halves out of four in the tournament.

Eriksson also praised Trevor Sinclair for his contribution to the 1-0 win over Argentina. "Trevor enjoyed his best game since I took over," he said. "He did a great job. He was strong, he beat players and, most important of all, he defended well." The England coach confirmed that Kieron Dyer was fully fit agains after his knee operation but that Sinclair had been chosen to replace Owen Hargreaves on merit.

"Fitness was not a factor in making that decision," Eriksson said. "Kieron was available on Friday. He is fit and is getting better all the time, but it was important that we had a robust midfielder that could defend.

"When you compare the two, their characteristics are quite different. Dyer is quicker and more dangerous going forward. Trevor is a normal, steady player."

FORMER Italy defender Antonio Benarrivo has had talks about a move to Fulham.

The 33-year-old Parma full-back, who played for Italy in the 1994 World Cup Final, claims he has accepted a two-year deal after meeting with new technical director Franco Baresi.

ARSENAL defender Martin Keown has been linked with a move to Newcastle. The 35-year-old is out of contract at Highbury and will discuss his future with Arsene Wenger on his return from the World Cup.