Liverpool hit the roof as Gerrard is ruled out for a month
-
Steven Gerrard row: Liverpool blast Fabio Capello after midfielder injured in England defeat
G whizz: France's Samir Nasri is chased by Steven Gerrard
Despair: England captain Steven Gerrard cannot hide his feeling as he limps off the Wembley pitch
Fabio Capello is on course for a row with Liverpool after reneging on an agreement to play Steven Gerrard for only 60 minutes of last night's England friendly against France.
Gerrard pulled his hamstring and hobbled off in the 84th minute of a 2-1 defeat, a scoreline that flattered England. He later limped away from the stadium and said: 'It's not good.'
It sparked an instant angry response from Roy Hodgson's coaching department. On his Twitter page, Liverpool's head of fitness and conditioning, Darren Burgess, wrote: 'Unbelievable from all associated with England and English FA with regards to SG's injury. Completely ignored agreement and past history. Completely amateurish and now we pay for their incompetence. Absolutely disgraceful.'
Capello said Gerrard stayed on because slight injuries had forced Rio Ferdinand and Gareth Barry to come off at half-time, and the manager needed the vice-captain to stay on the pitch.
'We spoke with Steve and said he would play one hour but, after Barry's injury we had problems,' said Capello. 'That was the reason he stayed on the pitch. If it's possible, the players will play the time we agreed with the club. But Barry was injured so we needed someone senior on the pitch.
'We are upset about what happened to Steve, of course. He has a problem and we will have to wait for the scan.
'They asked that he play one hour if it's possible but they can't decide how long a player plays with the national team. If it's possible, he would have played an hour. I understand why they're upset, and I'm also upset.'
By midnight, Burgess had deleted his tweets, although it was unclear if that was done after an edict from Liverpool.
Earlier Capello's assistant Franco Baldini had felt obliged to phone Newcastle manager Chris Hughton and explain why Andy Carroll was starting against the wishes of his club, who were worried he might aggravate a groin injury.
Capello said: 'We checked him before the game. He told me he was fit.
'No player has ever played with me who was not fit. Our doctor said he was fit, so the player was ready to play.
'I was really happy with Andy. He played very well. He understood that he'll be a player who'll be important for the future of England. When he received the ball he played quickly, and his movement was dangerous.'
Carroll went off after 72 minutes with England already two down. Peter Crouch grabbed a late consolation, his 22nd goal in 42 England games.
It was Capello's first Wembley defeat after last month's goalless draw against Montenegro.
-
Gerrard agony! £500k bill for FA as injured Liverpool captain is ruled out for a month
Furious Liverpool bosses yesterday were coming to terms with losing inspirational skipper Steven Gerrard for up to a month.
Dismay at an apparent broken promise regarding his England involvement against France turned to anger as the consequences of the hamstring injury he suffered late in the game became apparent. Liverpool are now expected to claim £500,000 compensation from the FA to cover his wages.
Head in hands: the Liverpool captain is set for a spell on the sidelines
Gerrard stayed on beyond the agreed hour mark of Wednesday's 2-1 defeat at Wembley and paid for trying to drive his team on, hobbling off with what was confirmed last night as a grade two hamstring tear.
Given his history of muscle injuries if asked to play three games in a week, Liverpool are up in arms. Their mood was captured in a post-match tweet by head of fitness and conditioning, Darren Burgess, who described Gerrard's prolonged involvement as 'unbelievable' and 'absolutely disgraceful', before later deleting the message.
Burgess phoned the FA on Thursday to express regret at the tone of his post but, pointedly, there was no apology from the former Australia fitness coach, or the club, over the sentiment.
Gerrard will miss tomorrow’s must-win home game with bottom side West Ham, difficult trips to Tottenham and Newcastle and a testing Anfield date with former Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier’s Aston Villa.
Manager Roy Hodgson is seething at the loss of his midfielder for a critical sequence of games, particularly after repeatedly resting him in the Europa League.
Capello added to the tension by revealing that he would contact Hodgson to explain his actions but not to say sorry.