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Tuesday 6 Jun 2006
Defoe gets German Visa!!
England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson has confirmed that standby striker Jermain Defoe will fly out with the England squad to Germany on Monday.

Eriksson has maintained his belief that Wayne Rooney will play at the World Cup, but the injured forward is waiting on the outcome of a scan on Wednesday.

"Defoe goes with us to Germany because we have to be insured about Wayne Rooney," Eriksson said.

Defoe was preferred to Everton forward Andy Johnson for a place on the plane.

Eriksson added: "Obviously, everybody thinks he will come back from Manchester on Wednesday evening and that's what I think.

"I have no doubts about it - but I can't be sure, of course, until the scan is done."

Under Fifa rules, Eriksson has until 24 hours before their opening Group B game against Paraguay to replace Rooney in his squad, should the 20-year-old be ruled out of the finals.

Eriksson also highlighted the mood in the camp after their 6-0 thrashing of Jamaica on Saturday.

He said: "Everything is more or less perfect.

"The spirit in the squad is absolutely fantastic, even better than it's been before - and before it's been very good.

"There is a great belief that we can do very well."

Johnson's chances of featuring in the World Cup are now all but over and he believes Eriksson would have picked him for the finals if he had played in the Premiership last season.

The 25-year-old is on the standby list for the finals, having played for Crystal Palace last season but is behind Defoe in Eriksson's pecking order.

He said: "I think I could have had a good chance of getting into the full squad if I had been playing in the Premiership all last season.

"Instead, I stayed at Palace [in the Championship] and scored 17 goals."

Johnson completed his £8.6m move to the Toffees on Tuesday after four years at the Selhurst Park club.

He has just two international caps to his name and was ousted from the squad by 17-year-old Arsenal forward Theo Walcott.

And Johnson added: "I know that if we hadn't been relegated and I'd scored 10 or 12 goals with Palace in the Premiership then I might have been in with a good chance of going.

"But I have no regrets that I stayed that extra year at Selhurst Park and I have always said 'what will be, will be'."