James - knee will be fine but I have a fight

David James has told The News today that his knee problem 'will not ruin his world cup hopes'.

The veteran, who was of course left out of Fabio Capello's squad to play Brazil this weekend, has said that his eagerness to return too soon from his knee operation over the summer has contributed to the problems he is seeing now - but things are improving and he will be fine come next summer: 'after the operation, I was just a little bit too eager on the rehabilitation - it's genuinely nothing to do with age! It would be easier if I'd had this injury a number of times and knew what I was dealing with.

'When I had the operation in the summer, it felt great afterwards, so I thought I would just crack on rather than taking my time. But things are improving all the time.'

James has made it more than clear, more than once, that he is not one to 'make up the numbers' and if he did not feel he was up to the job with England then he would not make himself available - this was his mentality before he returned to the international fold, and this remains his thinking now.

Although he has also told sky sports that he knows he will have to fight to get his place back in the squad, let alone as the no.1 as he feels that Capello has 'reliable keepers' to select from: 'Robert Green has done well and the sending-off in the qualifier was unfortunate for him. Ben Foster has also done well when he has come in.

'That is a good position for the manager, knowing he has three reliable keepers. I am also a big fan of Joe Hart, so there is a good collection to choose from.

'I don't know who the first choice would be, but if I am in the squad and someone else is in goal, they would be there by right.'

I do not really need to add anything else as I have already made it quite clear this week that I feel, without any Pompey bias, that James is the best English keeper about without a doubt - his experience is something that we need at the world cup, and if we decide against this we have made a big mistake.

All in all though what he does for Pompey is the priority, so all being well his knee is improving as he says it is - this break 'should' hopefully help him, and of course us!

PLAY UP POMPEY!

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