Spurs captain Ledley has always been regarded as one of the best centre-halves in England. The problem for King has been the long list of injuries that have plagued his career. King's career has been very similar to that of the Irish legend Paul McGrath. Both players were unable to train for long stretches in the days leading up to matches. King has battled chronic knee problems that have often left the big defender not training before matches. However, like McGrath before him, when King does play he tends to be man of the match or at least a contender. This season has been no different for King. There was lingering talk of him retiring at the start of the season but he has played in an impressive 18 games this season.
When you look at the England squad leading up to the world cup, the three centre halves that are definitely going are Ferdinand & Terry, the starting combination, and Matthew Upson as the alternative. Having Upson as the first back-up should frighten England fans because his form has been off this year. The contenders for the fourth spot seem to be King, Michael Dawson, Gary Cahill, Ryan Shawcross, Phil Jagielka and maybe even Sol Campbell. When you look at that list, the form of all the players is good but none can come close to Campbell and King in terms of pedigree. Personally, I think a few players listed above are potentially regulars for England. However, this summer I think Capello can't look further than King for a back-up.
When these big tournaments come around you need a player of real quality to step in and cover your first-choice players. The potential that Terry and/or Ferdinand could pick up and injury is quite high because both are carrying knocks for most of the season. For those reasons and because of his undoubted quality, King should be brought to step in if required.
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