Cole must prove himself to Capello

But as Fabio Capello prepares to name his first England squad, Cole's troublesome ankle may not be his chief concern.

The Chelsea defender's reputation rather than his body has taken a battering over the last week, after tawdry revelations about his private life moved the focus away from his form.

Being rotated out of the team which beat Wigan last weekend during the eye of the storm didn't help, but there are still two games for him to prove he has been unaffected before Capello gives the first indication of what sort of England manager he is going to be.

Chelsea face Reading at home tonight and go to Portsmouth on Saturday before the squad for next week's friendly against Switzerland is named.

Cole will be used at Stamford Bridge if Avram Grant maintains the pattern of picking him and Wayne Bridge alternately for no more than two consecutive games each when both are fit, and the manager insists the former Arsenal defender is ready to play.

He said: "We will wait and see whether he is in the squad but there is no problem. He's a full professional, he's ready."

Capello may choose to do the same for England and though reports of drunken nights out will not be to the hardline Italian's liking, the former Real Madrid manager will want to find out about the defender's character for himself.

Grant has no doubts that both his left-backs will be selected again for England, but his handling of Cole this week will be interesting.

The Israeli is a keen student of sports psychology and, after watching him in training for the last two days, knows the 27-year-old wants to come out fighting.

He may even rely on Cole finding extra strength from a siege mentality.

Grant said: "I choose players that I like, but I want them also with a good head on their shoulders. They need to be professional.

"A professional is not just what you think, a professional also is a state of mind. It's not just if you drink or you don't drink, this is obvious.

"It is many things, how you look at the game, how you look forward, if you live in the past too much. It's very important what you have in your head."

Cole told Chelsea supporters at a recent question and answer session that the sort of attention directed at David Beckham is not something he seeks or would be comfortable with.

In his book, My Defence, Cole admitted: "Celebrity and notoriety sum up the flip side of the fame game that surrounds me and Cheryl.

"We have both learned the hard way about having a love-hate relationship with celebrity status."

The pitch has proved a haven for players with problems off it in the past and could do so for Cole.

Grant is confident the furore him will not harm his work — for Chelsea or England.

He said: "I think Capello needs to take Bridge and Cole. This is my opinion. They are the two
best left backs in the country.

"The England players that belong to Chelsea deserve to be there. They have done it [performed
for us] under big pressure the last few weeks.

"Capello has been in touch with me, we spoke about football and it was very positive."

Grant is right about the quality of his left-backs and Nicky Shorey, who will face Chelsea for Reading tonight, is no competition.

Choosing between Cole and Bridge is not so easy. Slightly different in their style of play, the more spiky Cole has held the upper hand until now.

After carrying an ankle injury last season and recovering to play well at the start of this campaign, the problem has come back to haunt him. Regular physiotherapy and rotation has got him through but Bridge has gone from strength to strength. The former Southampton player must
have impressed Capello when he put in an outstanding performance against Everton at Stamford Bridge in the Carling Cup three weeks ago and his crossing is a real strength.

The ghosts of his nightmare showing against Croatia when England hit rock bottom in November will have to be exorcised, but Bridge may never get a better chance to push his claim.