Cole fit to train with England

Ashley Cole allayed fears he would become the latest victim of England’s injury crisis by appearing at a public training session on Friday.

The Chelsea defender missed a civic reception on Thursday in Krakow, where Hodgson’s side are based for Euro 2012, sparking concerns of another casualty in England defence.

The 31-year-old Cole reported for Friday’s open training session, although it was expected to just be a light workout for the full-back.

Chelsea duo Frank Lampard and Gary Cahill have already been ruled out of the tournament through injury, meaning manager Roy Hodgson will be sweating on the fitness of their club team-mate, with England’s opening Group D fixture against France coming up on Monday.

Striker Jermain Defoe was the only player not present at Friday’s session after flying home to England following the death of his father, with 3,000 guests invited to watch Hodgson’s squad put through their paces.

After the session, the squad were due to split, with captain Steven Gerrard leading a group of players to Oskar Schindler’s factory in Krakow, while Hodgson and Football Association chairman David Bernstein were to accompany a small group to Auschwitz.