Who will replace Ashley Cole if he doesn’t make the World Cup?

It seems that England are undergoing one blow after another. Firstly there was the John Terry scandal and on Wednesday it got worse for England’s World Cup hopes.

England’s first choice left-back Ashley Cole in a clash with Everton’s Landon Donovan broke his ankle. No blame should be attached to the American but it is a big blow to the England.

Clock Ticking

Chelsea have reported that they believe Cole will take three months to recover from the injury. With a little less than four months before the start of the World Cup it will be a race against time for the full-back to be fit.

Cole is our only world-class left-back and has been in superb form this season under Carlo Ancelotti. England boss Fabio Capello is confident that the former Arsenal star will be fit by the start of the finals, but Cole will miss the rest of the season.

He has formed part of a very reliable England backline and will be sorely missed if he doesn’t make the plane to South Africa in the summer. Capello will then have to consider alternatives to fill the position. He is not short of options but they either don’t have the experience or have been in indifferent form this season.

Ironic

It’s ironic that one of the main contenders to replace Cole is former Chelsea teammate Wayne Bridge, who of course was involved in that John Terry scandal. It seems he has found it hard to deal with the situation.

How would he cope with being in the same team as his former friend? It’s hard to say as I don’t know the guy personally, but I would say it would prove a problem for Capello and his staff to deal with. The Manchester City full-back also hasn’t been in the best of form this season.

Alternatives will need to be looked at in the next four months and here are some options Capello has available to him.

Stephen Warnock (Aston Villa)

The full-back has always been a steady player since his days at Liverpool. The former Blackburn star has won just one England cap to date but Capello is believed to be impressed by his performances for Villa this season. Warnock is also just coming back from injury himself. However his injury isn’t serious and he must be considered as an option.

Leighton Baines (Everton)

Baines is a good up and down full-back. He’s a solid defender and can create chances going forward. Is also a free-kick specialist and has also taken penalties for Everton. Earlier in the season he captained the Toffee’s. Has been called up twice to England squads by Fabio Capello but has yet to win a cap. However he will now be upmost in thoughts of Capello with the injury to Cole.

Nicky Shorey (Aston Villa, on-loan at Fulham)

The solid full-back impressed in his time at Reading and moved on to Aston Villa. However since the arrival of Stephen Warnock at Villa he has struggled for first team football and was sent out on loan to Championship side Nottingham Forest. Has yet to convince at Premier League level and has only a handful of caps for his country.

Joleon Lescott (Manchester City)

Although not a natural left-back the big defender played at left-back for his former club Everton and is very capable in that position. However his preferred position is in the centre of defence. Since his big-money arrival at City he has struggled for fitness and has only just returned from injury. However he could provide a decent back-up.

Outside Candidates

I have also heard people mention the likes of Fulham’s Paul Konchesky and Bolton’s Matty Taylor. Both are good solid Premier League players but are longer shots than the players mentioned above and would be considered outside chances to make the World Cup squad.

There are also players who could cover the position but would be out of position at full-back. Earlier in his career Gareth Barry played at full-back for Aston Villa and would probably still do a good job. However he is far better in midfield and his passing talents would be wasted in defence.

Then there is a current Aston Villa player James Milner. The midfielder has covered at full-back at times for Villa but like Barry his talents are better served in midfield.  He has pace and skill and he is much better at attacking than defending. However I think he would be a last resort at full-back if England were chasing a game and needed a goal.

Not needed

This discussion could be rendered pointless if Ashley Cole recovers and is fit enough for the World Cup. He doesn’t have long to recover and when he does it will take a lot of hard work for the Chelsea man to get back to full-fitness.