LONDON, May 29 - Wayne
Rooney's broken foot, never far from the headlines, was back at the top of
England's World Cup agenda again on Monday after Manchester United agreed to
bring forward the striker's next scan by a week to June 7.
Though the club warned the injury involved a joint and could take longer to
heal than previously thought, coach Sven-Goran Eriksson predictably played down
the implications.
The Swede told a news conference he wanted a clearer idea of the prospects
and the switch had been at his request.
Typically, he remained upbeat, telling reporters: "I'm always positive about
it, optimistic...I'm not worried.
"I don't think it's a change at all. I was in the medical meeting today and I
don't think it's anything new."
Hosts Germany were pleased to learn that one of their key men, captain
Michael Ballack, could yet play a part in their penultimate warm-up against
Japan on Tuesday after making a pain-free return to training.
Ballack suffered an ankle strain in a practice game last week and missed the
7-0 win over Luxembourg on Saturday.
"I had no pain," Ballack said. "If it's no worse overnight I assume I can
play."
There was good news for Ghana who beat Jamaica 4-1 in a friendly played in
Leicester in England.
Serb coach Ratomir Dujkovic was impressed enough to declare: "We are getting
better each game and by the time of the World Cup we will be ready to beat any
team."
The message is unlikely to be lost on Ghana's Group E opponents - the Czech
Republic, the United States and Italy.
French fans were still fretting over a below-par performance by Zinedine
Zidane at the weekend in the 1-0 win over Mexico.
The classy playmaker, who will retire after the tournament, was only a shadow
of his former brilliant self.
The balding 33-year-old, was winning his 100th cap and playing his last match
at the Stade de France where he scored twice in France's 3-0 defeat of Brazil in
the 1998 final.
But coach Raymond Domenech was not too concerned, saying Zidane still had
time to get in shape before France's opening match against Switzerland on June
13.
Serbia and Montenegro coach Ilija Petkovic solved his problem of replacing
injured striker Mirko Vucinic by calling up his son Dusan Petkovic -- a central
defender.
