Richardson set to fill England's gap on left

A four-month loan spell at West Brom during the second half of last season projected Richardson into the limelight after he had been a bit-part player at Old Trafford.

Richardson played a major role in helping the Baggies to pull off the Great Escape and survive in the Premiership. He scored in the vital win over Portsmouth on the last day of the season.

Downing has been sent back to England after sustaining a jarred knee in training on Wednesday and it is tough luck on the 20-yearold player, who had been aiming to add to his one cap against Holland at Villa Park in February.

But it was decided he should take no further part in the tour after he underwent a scan, although there is no long-term damage. Liverpool reserve keeper Scott Carson flies into America to join up with the squad today after the Reds' dramatic Champions League final win over AC Milan in Istanbul.

Because of the number of withdrawals by established men, Arsenal's Ashley Cole will probably be the only player in the starting lineup certain of a place when England resume their World Cup qualifying programme in Wales in September.

Tottenham midfielder Michael Carrick was forced to miss training-yesterday with blistered feet but is expected to be fit to win his third cap tomorrow, when he will resume his midfield partnership with his former West Ham teammate Joe Cole.

The absence of midfield big guns Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and David Beckham means Eriksson will almost certainly turn to the pair who last played together in a 2-0 win over Sunderland in March 2003 as West Ham fought to avoid relegation from the Premiership.

Five months later Joe Cole joined Chelsea for £6.6million. Carrick played for another season at West Ham before joining Spurs for £3.5m.

They made their England debuts together, coming on as substitutes at Pride Park in a 4-0 win over Mexico in May 2000.

That was the fourth match of Eriksson's reign and he was assessing young players for his squad. Carrick has since played just once - a substitute appearance against Holland a year later - while Joe Cole has pushed himself to the fringe of a regular first team place.

He was in the starting line-up for England's two most recent matches - World Cup ties against Northern Ireland and Azerbaijan - and can consider himself a senior figure.

Carrick and Cole are 23 and, having started their England journey together, now have an eye on next summer's World Cup in Germany.