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MCCLAREN HINTS AT CROUCH RETURN

Steve McClaren has a selection dilemma

Tuesday September 11,2007

By Julia White for express.co.uk

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STEVE McClaren faces a selection dilemma ahead of tomorrow’s vital Euro 2008 qualifier against Russia after declaring today that he sees Peter Crouch as a serious option.

The England manager brought back Emile Heskey to play alongside Michael Owen in attack for Saturday’s 3-0 win over Israel because Crouch was unavailable through suspension.

But the Liverpool striker is now in the running again for the match at Wembley after serving his one-match ban.

McClaren said: “Peter [Crouch] is a big player for us, he scores goals and it is great to have that option coming back.”

29-year-old Heskey, who came back into the team after a three-year absence, impressed against Israel but McClaren insists this is a tougher challenge.

Peter Crouch trains with the rest of the England squad

He said: “I felt Emile could come back and help us win and he certainly helped us on Saturday.

“It [the match against Russia] is a different challenge, a tougher challenge. Russia play a different system so we may have to tweak one or two things.

“We have looked at one or two things and we have tried one or two things but I will confirm the team tomorrow lunchtime at the team meeting.

“The decisions you make are the ones necessary to win the game.

With pressure growing on the squad, McClaren said the victory over Israel had given the team a real boost.

However, he said they could now not allow their standards to slip

“There is a great spirit among the squad, a lot of confidence and belief. We have done the first job and we have to follow that up,” he said.

“They have to transfer that on Saturday and the way they train into the next game.

“This is coming to the nitty-gritty and we can’t afford any slip-ups and the players know that. It is like the run into a championship or a quarter-final of a cup and when you can see the finish line it helps the players’ concentration.

“We need consistency and that is what I am looking for. We have to carry it through to the rest of the games in the group stages.

“A win tomorrow will put us in a very good position in the group and then we are in charge.”