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Loss of Ferdinand is a blow but Ledley King is a great replacement

Graham Fisher in Editorial, World Cup 8 Jun 2010

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King with one of his fans

Ledley King is twenty-nine years old and has played at the top level with Tottenham since 1999. In the twelve seasons he has been in the first team reckoning he has played just two hundred and forty league games. Only in two seasons has he managed to play more than thirty league games and he hasn’t managed that feat in the last five.

Best
King made his full England debut back in 2002 but has amassed just twenty caps despite being widely regarded as one of England’s best defenders.
The reason for these statistics, of course, is that King has been plagued by injury. The chronic knee problems he has have prevented him taking the field more than once a week and there is apparently no effective treatment or cure.
Former Tottenham manager Martin Jol described King as , “the best central defender I have seen in my career” and former Tottenham and England midfielder, now a TV pundit said of King, “He is like a magnet for the ball, a thoroughbred of a defender, the best centre-half in the country.”

Train

The London born centre-back is not able to train often with his team-mates due to his knee problems and is forced to undertake a fitness regime of his own. His current club manager Harry Redknapp described King as “an absolute freak” due to his ability to perform at such a consistently high level despite his lack of training.

King has become the favourite to partner John Terry at the heart of England’s defence after Rio Ferdinand was unfortunately ruled out of the tournament. He believes that his fitness will be strong enough to see him through the tournament even if England do go all the way.

Speaking at England’s World Cup training base King said,

“I go out on the training pitch once or twice a week, work in the gym, go in the pool and train the day before a game. Your career is short and I am trying to get as much as I can out of the game. Nobody can know when their time in football is up.”

Throughout his career King has forged a reputation for having great pace and strength. He is good in the air and composed on the ball. His tackling is tidy and effective and his positional play is as good as anyone’s.

Fan

It seems that Fabio Capello is such a fan of King’s that he has given him special dispensation to continue his own personal training regime rather than making him train with the others.

If King does line up alongside Terry on Saturday some people have expressed a concern that they have not played together for England in three years. In fact their relationship goes back much further than that as they did play together at schoolboy level and King is sure that they will not have a problem.

“John was a midfield player back then. He was still shouting at everyone but he was a little shorter. He still had all those leadership qualities he still possesses now. Communication is key. I have worked enough with John and I know his game. John is a big talker and I will talk. I’m sure we will be fine.”

I wrote the other day that the loss of Rio Ferdinand was a major blow to England. I still feel that is true but if Ledley’s knees can stand up to the pressure of the World Cup then we simply couldn’t have a better replacement.

Although Steve Gerrard is captain of the side with Frank Lampard being the vice-captain, Ledley King will join John Terry as another club captain in the side and that has to be a good thing. You can’t have too many captains.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Graham Fisher


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