Tweet
Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher will be part of Fabio Capello's England World Cup squad that travels to South Africa in June, BBC Sport understands.The 32-year-old was part of the squad at Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup but retired from internationals in 2007.
Capello will name a provisional 30-man World Cup squad on Tuesday also set to include Spurs defender Ledley King.
Fulham's Bobby Zamora and Manchester City's Adam Johnson should be in but injured Gareth Barry could miss out.
The Manchester City midfielder damaged an ankle during his side's defeat by Tottenham last Wednesday, and Capello said on Monday that his likely recovery time - early next month - is "too long" before England's first group match against the United States on 12 June.
Barry's injury could open a spot for Manchester United's Owen Hargreaves, who has played just a minute as a substitute this season, with Scott Parker another possibility.
Striker Zamora has had a superb season with Fulham both domestically and in Europe as the London club reached the Europa League final, while winger Johnson has blossomed since moving to City from Middlesbrough in the January transfer window.
England play Mexico at Wembley on 24 May and Japan in Austria on 30 May as part of a pre-tournament training camp, before Capello names his final 23-man squad for the finals on 1 June. BBC Sport understands the Football Association sent letters to more than 30 players last week, asking them to be available for the period of the training camp.
Capello and his assistant Franco Baldini were checking on the fitness of several players on Monday before settling on the 30 they will take to Austria.
Wayne Rooney, who saw Chelsea's Didier Drogba overtake him for the Premier League's Golden Boot award, limped off towards the end of Manchester United's last game of the season against Stoke on Sunday.
But he was able to join his team-mates on an end-of-season parade lap at Old Trafford and assistant manager Mike Phelan said: "He should be OK so all the phone calls and worries can be dispelled straight away."
Carragher's return has been precipitated by worries over Rio Ferdinand's injury-hit season with Manchester United.
The Liverpool defender has won 34 caps, playing at centre half, both full-back slots and in midfield.
Former England boss Steve McClaren made an unsuccessful attempt to lure Carragher, but he is now ready to come back.
Ironically Carragher's form this season has failed to consistently match the high standards he set in previous campaigns. Liverpool could only finish seventh in the Premier League, their lowest league finish since they were also seventh in 1999, conceding 35 goals compared to only 27 the season before when they were second to Manchester United.
King has 19 caps to his name and despite being plagued by persistent knee problems, he has produced a string of superb performances in helping Spurs finish fourth in the Premier League.
"I am really happy because he played four games in 15 days," Capello said on Monday.This article is from the BBC News website. ? British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.