FACTFILE Born: 02/05/81 Position: Goalkeeper Club: Liverpool Caps: 0

Chris Kirkland's path to a first full England cap - predicted almost from the moment he made his debut as a Coventry City teenager - has been held up by injury.

Liverpool's giant 22-year-old goalkeeper finally won a regular place at Anfield last season after his �6m move from Coventry.

But a serious knee injury in an FA Cup tie at Crystal Palace in January ruled him out for the rest of the season.

He has suffered another stop-start campaign this time around with a fractured finger and broken wrist, but Sven-Goran Eriksson remains a big admirer of Kirkland.