Sven's men suffer battle fatigue
Sven-Goran Eriksson has been told by his medical team that England's World Cup players are "heavily fatigued" and most should be rested completely on their sunshine break in Dubai.
The news will come as another setback to England's chances at the World Cup as Eriksson faced up this morning to the huge blow of losing Kieron Dyer and Steven Gerrard.
Fitness levels will be crucial in the hot and humid conditions in Japan. Blood and fitness tests taken at two different points during the season have confirmed what the England coach had always suspected - that playing in the Premiership, the most demanding domestic league in the world, has taken a heavy toll on the squad.
The tests concluded that the players were suffering from varying degrees of heavy fatigue and were deficient in certain minerals, such as iron, calcium and zinc.
The squad have been given individual fitness programmes, including dietary advice, to help bring their levels back up before the World Cup but will also be told to recharge their batteries with plenty of rest over the next few days.
It is understood the England coach has been concerned over some of the test results, carried out by his Italian fitness coach Ivan Carminati plus a specialist Swedish doctor and nutritionists.
English clubs have made great strides in changing their training and fitness techniques in recent seasons but still have some way to go before they catch up with some of their top European counterparts.
MORE WORLD CUP NEWS
