King happy with holding role

Ledley King says he is ready and willing to take up a holding role if required by England.

King took up the role in the 2-1 victory over Poland and it is believed that coach Sven Goran Eriksson is keen to employ a withdrawn midfielder against more accomplished sides in the World Cup.

With John Terry, Rio Ferdinand and Sol Campbell battling it out for the two central defender's roles, King is realistic about his chances of breaking into the backline under the Swede.

However, after excelling in the role for Spurs on a number of occasions, King says he is ready to exercise his versatility and take up a holding role if required - with his next chance likely to come against Argentina on Saturday.

"With the number of quality central defenders we've got in the country, it's difficult to get a place in the England team," said King.

"Even though I feel my best position is at the back, I'm willing to do a job for England if they need me in that [holding] role.

"It's an option for me and I realise it's important to be versatile. If you can play in a few positions, it gives you a better chance of going to the World Cup.

"It was a little bit of a surprise when the manager asked me to play there [against Poland], but I had done it before.

"I knew there was a possibility I could play there going into the game, it's something I've done before so it wasn't too bad."

Another player who is in line to take up such a role is King's Spurs team-mate Michael Carrick, and, along with Paul Robinson, Jermain Defoe and Jermaine Jenas, the quintet make up more than one fifth of Eriksson's squad.

The North London side are only rivalled by neighbours Chelsea in the depth of their England contingent, and Carrick insists such strong representation is evidence of the club's transfer policy bearing fruit.

"There are a few of us involved and that's down to the club's policy of going for young English players," said Carrick.

"But we need to fulfil our potential, a lot of players are looking towards the World Cup and it's a big season for us all."