England assistant Tord Grip has confirmed that Alan Thompson would probably have been included in the squad for the Denmark clash, if he had not been injured. The Celtic star has been in impressive form this season down The Bhoys' left side and he has been highlighted as the man who could solve England's persistent problem.

However, the former Bolton man is currently sidelined with calf problem and will now have to wait until England's next friendly in February against Portugal.

"You can take a player like Alan Thompson - he would have probably been in the squad if he hadn't have been injured," Grip revealed to The Football Association's website.

"We'd have watched him against Anderlecht had he not been injured and he'd have been in the squad otherwise," Grip told the Scottish Daily Mail. "He offers us balance down the left and has been playing well.

"I've seen plenty of him on TV and watched him in Munich. He's at a mature stage in his career which can only help and he has a powerful backer in Martin O'Neill.

"Either myself or Sven will come to the Bayern match in Glasgow. He's firmly in our thoughts for our next match in Portugal."

Bookmark or share this story with:

• Digg
• Delicious
• Facebook
• Reddit
• Stumbleupon

SPORTNETWORK SPECIALS