Fabio Capello has warned Ashley Cole he will only pick him for
England if he proves his fitness between now and the end of the
season.
The Chelsea left-back has been sidelined since February after
breaking his ankle and is facing a race against time to be fit for
South Africa.
He has been pencilled in to return for Chelsea's home game
with Stoke on April 25 and he will do so with Capello's words
ringing in his ears.
"I know not all the players will be in the same shape. Some
will have played the whole season, some will have played only half
the season," he told Four Four Two magazine.
"If, for example, Ashley Cole is only half-fit, that's not
enough. He needs to play too. After three months of being injured
he will need games."
Capello went on to explain he is not a fan of playing players
out of position and that he plans to use specialists at the World
Cup.
Working on a marking system out of 10, the Italian concedes
he has plenty of thinking to do before finalising his squad.
He added: "I think to myself: the value of this player is 10,
another is nine, another is eight and a half. And I choose (the
players with the) most (points).
"Everyone has different qualities. For some positions, one
characteristic is more important than the other one.
"It depends on the position, it depends on different moments
in the game, it depends on the opponents.
"I prefer the specialist. I think that 11 specialists win
against 11 players who can play in different positions. It is nice
to see players who can play in different positions though. There
will be times when you have to do this."
