Terry set to miss out, while Rooney battles back

John Terry looks set to miss England's World Cup qualifier against Kazakhstan at Wembley on Saturday with a back injury.

Terry suffered the problem in Chelsea's Champions League tie against CFR Cluj last week and played with a protective pad in his club's win over Aston Villa last weekend.

The England captain was in pain after that match and was forced to pull out of a training session with Fabio Capello's squad early on Wednesday.

The FA released a statement on Thursday confirming that Terry's back complaint had prevented him from training again and he is almost certain to be sidelined for the Kazakhstan clash, as well as the trip to Belarus next week.

Matthew Upson is expected to deputise for Terry, while Rio Ferdinand will take the captain's armband.

While Terry battles with injury, England striker Wayne Rooney believes he has shaken off a surprising early-season slump.

Rooney has scored in his last three games for Manchester United, in addition to the goal he got in the 4-1 World Cup win over Croatia in Zagreb last month.

But his hot streak was much needed after a sluggish start to the campaign, which saw him left out of Sir Alex Ferguson's side against Bolton.

The 22-year-old concedes he was below-par in the opening weeks because he was trying to do too much for the team.

“Maybe sometimes the criticism has been fair,” he said. “I am self-critical and watch all the games again. When I have not played well, I am disappointed and look for things to try and improve.

“As a centre-forward you do not want to be going too deep. But I also think it is natural to go looking for the ball if you are not getting it.

“Hopefully I can get on the ball in dangerous positions so I can stay upfield.”