England football coach Fabio Capello has lined up Ledley King for his World Cup squad if he can stay injury-free for the rest of the season, it has been claimed.

The Tottenham defender is unable to play every game due to a long-term knee problem, with his club using him sparingly in big matches, but Capello is reported to have told the defender he wants him to be in the squad to go to South Africa.

However, the defender must come through the rest of the season unscathed to book his place.

The possibility of King being in the squad has partly arisen due to a series of injury problems affecting other defenders, most notably Rio Ferdinand, who has been struggling with back problems.

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One footballer whose World Cup participation may be in doubt is Liverpool forward Fernando Torres.

An operation earlier this month has already ruled the Spaniard out of the rest of this season, with his scheduled recovery time of six weeks meaning any further setbacks could rule him out of the national squad.