Cole out as England’s injury jinx strikes early

With the World Cup on the horizon England's injury jinx has struck early, with Ashley Cole ruled out for three months thanks to a broken ankle.

The left back should return in May, but will only have a handful of games to prove his form and fitness ahead of the tourament which starts in South Africa in June.

There is a certain inevitability about Cole's injury given that his obvious replacement in the England side is none other than Wayne Bridge - the player whose girlfriend former England captain John Terry had an affair.

The efforts of England manager Fabio Capello to clear the air in the England camp will now have added urgency if he wants Terry and Bridge to play together in England's friendly against Egypt in three weeks.

It had been rumoured that Bridge was so upset over Terry's fling with Vanessa Perroncel that he would not make himself available for the game. But Cole's injury gives the match extra significance as Capello is now on the lookout for a potential replacement for the World Cup. If Bridge does skip the game he would effecively be throwing away the chance to cement his place in the squad and would give his rivals the chance to leapfrog him in the pecking order.

Bridge is lucky in that most of Capello's options in his position are not natural left backs like him. The likes of Joleon Lescott, Stephen Warnock, Gareth Barry and James Milner can all fill the role but are better suited to other positions. However, youngster Leighton Baines of Everton is a specialist left-back and could make a run for the team after impressing for the Under-21 squad.

There was another unusual aspect to Cole's injury, as it happened in a tackle with Everton's USA international Landon Donovan, the very same player that England's left back will be marking in their opening fixture of the World Cup. ·