Trevor Huggins
Skipper David Beckham's return to full training has lifted the England squad and set them buzzing as they prepare for the World Cup, coach Steve McClaren said on Wednesday.
Speaking after the squad's first full training session together, McClaren said Beckham had not suffered any reaction to his efforts after breaking a bone in his foot in April.
"David has trained for the last two days with the team and has come through it very, very well. There's been no reaction, so he's on course for Sunday.
"He's doing everything, he's not holding back, he's got a big smile on his face and he's enjoying life.
"It's a big boost to the rest of the squad," said the Middlesbrough manager, working under England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson.
"He is the captain, he is a major player, he is a big influence on the team.
"Obviously, with David coming back into training and also Kieron (Dyer) joining in, it's added that little bit of spice and focus from the players. They're training very well."
England open their campaign in Group F against Sweden on Sunday.
ENGLAND EXCITEMENT
McClaren said the proximity of the game, plus the gradual return of players from injury, meant that excitement levels were definitely on the rise.
"It's the biggest thing within the camp and within the squad," he said.
"There's a buzz about the place. There's more chit-chat, there's more talking, there's more focus. Training is intense...now you can see the expectations are getting bigger."
The only cloud now on England's horizon is that Dyer must prove his fitness after a knee injury by Friday -- or face being sent home, and replaced by either David Dunn or Alan Smith.
"Kieron has also done two training sessions with the team and has made great progress over the last two days.
"He was able to train fully this morning with the rest of the team and as long as long as there's no reaction he'll train again with the whole team again tomorrow.
"Today was the first day we had 23 players on the training field doing the full session."
Acknowledging the injuries that have bedevilled England, he added: "In an ideal world, it would have been better at the start of the preparation to have had all 23 players in training, but that wasn't possible.
"We've also had other knocks, and the games we've played have been disrupted and training has been disrupted because of injuries."
But he added: "It's a relief that this week that we've got all players fit and we can get down to working towards the main thing, which is the Sweden game."
