King pleased to be back

But centre-back realises that there is a need for improvement

Last updated: 25th May 2010   Subscribe to RSS Feed

SKY BET ODDS
Ledley King is 1/25 to be named in the final 23 man World Cup Squad, King is 4/9 to start the first match against the USA.BET NOW

Ledley King was delighted to make his long-awaited return to international football but admitted he can improve in an England shirt.

The Tottenham defender marked his first appearance for the Three Lions in almost three years with a goal on Monday night as England waved goodbye to home soil ahead of the World Cup with a 3-1 win over Mexico.

Despite the result, it was not an entirely impressive performance from Fabio Capello's side and players such as Michael Carrick and Theo Walcott struggled to impress on a night when plans will have been made for next Tuesday's whittling down of a 30-man squad to 23.

Although his headed goal was taken with superb reflexes, King was another who looked a little shaky when defending and he was at times caught out by the speed of Mexico's counter-attacks.

The Spurs man was pleased to be playing for England again, but acknowledged that he can do better, saying: "I wouldn't say it was one of my best games but it was tough out there. They are a good side.

"They move the ball quickly, they've got good movement and the manager made it known at half-time that we weren't getting tight enough. We came out in the second half and did a lot better."

Upbeat

King has been hampered by chronic knee injuries throughout his career, but he was upbeat about his chances of playing at the World Cup.

"As regards my fitness, the knee is okay, the more I play the fitter I get. I've ended the season with three games in 10 days and we've got a great set-up here," he said.

"The medical staff are doing a brilliant job to help me prepare for the games. I'll try and be as fit as I can and we'll see where it goes."

Jamie Carragher also made his return to England duty having performed a U-turn regarding his international retirement and the Liverpool man was happy to partner King at centre-back as a second-half replacement for Rio Ferdinand.

General consensus suggests the 32-year-old has been selected as a right-back by Capello and he will also be happy to play a versatile role.

Carragher told Sky Sports News: "It (centre-back) is my best position; I think everyone is aware of that. But if you look at the squad maybe the manager does see me playing a different position.

"Maybe that is something that I have to adapt to and do whatever the manager says."

Post to your View!

Be the first to post a comment on this story

Add Comment*

Send us your views

Are you a Sky Sports subscriber?

*All fields required, your email address will be kept private