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Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry wants Reds skipper Steven Gerrard to be left out of England's friendly against Germany on Wednesday.
Gerrard has a hairline fracture of his toe and, although he will face Chelsea on Sunday, Parry wants England manager Steve McClaren to rest him in midweek.
Parry told BBC 5live Sportsweek: "If we had two games in a week we would be looking to rest him in one of them.
"We need to treat him with care. Bluntly, our focus is with Liverpool."
Gerrard is set to have a painkilling injection in order to play against the Blues at Anfield.
And Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has already said he does not think Gerrard, who picked up the injury playing against Toulouse on 15 August, will be available to face Germany.
Parry added: "Clearly, we will have to see how he is. As Rafa has said, it is the sort of injury that is going to need careful nursing and rest."
Portsmouth centre-back Sol Campbell has already been forced to pull out of the England squad because of a groin injury.
There are also doubts over the fitness of John Terry, Owen Hargreaves, Michael Owen and David Beckham, while Gary Neville - who has not played since March because of an ankle problem - now has a calf strain and is set to miss the Euro 2008 qualifiers against Israel and Russia in September.
Former England manager Sir Bobby Robson has expressed his doubts over how long Beckham, 32, can continue playing for England while he is playing in America for Los Angeles Galaxy.
Robson told BBC 5live Sportsweek: "I would pick him to begin with to see how he goes - in the short term he looks okay
"But the longer he plays in America, with respect to the football being played there, the less competitive he will become.
"It is not the greatest level of football. He will lose the match sharpness he needs to play at the top level with England."
Robson also felt a lack of new talent means McClaren had little choice but to recall Campbell, who turns 33 in September, and goalkeeper David James, 37, because of injuries affecting his players.
"It is a worry that he had to return to the old guard but there is not much he can do," conceded Robson.
"The high numbers of foreigners playing in this country means there is less space for England players coming through.
"We are not producing enough good players from our academies so most clubs are going abroad.
"There are vast sums of money being generated in the Premier League but it is filtering abroad in transfer fees and going to foreign clubs, not to English sides."
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Source: BBC Sport |
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