West Ham United and England midfielder Scott Parker was at the centre of controversy yesterday after Arsenal winger Theo Walcott dislocated his shoulder during an England training session.
The 19-year-old was ruled out for around three months after damaging his shoulder in a challenge with West Ham United's Parker. Nturally, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger had his fair share to say on the matter."It is particularly not welcome at the moment because it is at a period where you want your players to recover a little bit," he moaned. "I don't see what you gain from this friendly because there is no game. You can explain a friendly to prepare for an official match but after this there is no international game for four months."
West Ham have both Parker (3 caps) and Matthew Upson (11 caps) involved in the squad which face Germany in Berlin's Olympiastadion tonight. The game is being broadcast live in the UK on ITV1; live commentary can be heard on the BBC Radio Five.
Trivia corner: Should Parker feature tonight he will become the first Englishman to win his first four caps with four different teams.
* Dean Ashton was ruled out for a year back in 2006 when his ankle was broken in an England training session by then-Chelsea midfielder Shaun Wright-Phillips.
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