Lampard ruled out for a month by thigh strain

Head coach Steve McClaren, already without David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, Gary Neville and the banned Peter Crouch for next Saturday's clash with Israel at Wembley, is also awaiting news of Steven Gerrard's broken toe.

McClaren received a phone call from Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho yesterday afternoon to confirm that Lampard, who scored England's goal in the 2-1 defeat against Germany last month, is out for a month with a thigh strain.

It is a major blow for McClaren, who was relying on experience to collect six points against Israel and Russia, who come to Wembley on Wednesday week, and keep alive hopes of qualifying for Euro 2008.

Beckham is out for at least two months with strained knee ligaments, while Liverpool captain Gerrard has not played since the 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Anfield two weeks ago and McClaren is at loggerheads with Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez over the player's inclusion in the squad.

Benitez claims Gerrard, who has been left out of his team against Derby this afternoon, cannot play without a painkilling injection. But McClaren will demand the midfielder's release for the two games that will shape his future in the England job.

McClaren, finally showing a ruthless side to his character after just over a year in the job, said: 'Steven Gerrard is very, very keen to play the next two games for England and will assess the situation after the weekend.

'We're taking doctors' advice and Liverpool's advice but ultimately Steven wants to play and I'm very confident he will be available.

'When you talk about the current issue about club and country, the players need to have a passion to play for their country, and no one epitomises that more than Steven Gerrard. He always turns up, always wants to turn up — as he wanted to against Germany — and we need that type of character. Believe you me, Steven is a strong enough character to indicate to me that he wants to play in the next two games for England.

'If there is a risk, then the medical teams will get together. We felt it was too much of a risk against Germany. We will liaise with Rafa Benitez but the decisions will be made by the player, by ourselves and the medical teams.

'There is a certain flexibility when it comes to friendlies, but now we are into the qualifiers. The players, myself and the whole country want us to be in Switzerland and Austria next summer and that's all that counts.'

But Benitez warned: 'We won't put him under pressure and use him against Derby. He would need a pain-killing injection and then he would take several days before he could train again. We will not take risks with him and neither should England.'

McClaren was still coming to terms with Beckham's injury when it emerged that Lampard will also be missing from England's midfield for the two biggest matches of his spell in charge of the national team.

The head coach, who hinted that Beckham's problems were the result of the relentless publicity drive in America, has brought Blackburn's David Bentley back from exile.

He added: 'Becks is devastated, especially with five massive qualifiers coming up. We need players who can handle the situation and have that experience — David was one of them.

'Getting injured is not necessarily because of all the travelling and everything he has to do. The same can be said of Wayne Rooney's injury — someone stands on his foot and breaks it.

'It's a difficult schedule for David but it's something he thought he could handle. I can't comment on his personal situation and whether he was playing with the injury. All I can say is that it was going to be a difficult schedule.'

McClaren, who has brought in Ashley Young to give him experience, has also recalled Bentley after omitting him from the squad to face Germany in last month's friendly as a punishment for his refusal to play in the summer's Under 21 European Championship.

McClaren added: 'David Bentley has the potential to be an England player. It was interesting to see what his reaction would be after the last squad announcement. He has been excellent and he has done his talking on the park. He is a player for the future, just like Ashley Young.'

McClaren still has problems in attack — none of the five strikers in the squad has scored in the Premiership this season — and he is toying with the idea of playing Michael Owen up front alone next weekend.

England will rely on the established players against Israel next Saturday and there appears to be another reprieve for Paul Robinson.

The goalkeeper was at fault for Germany's equaliser at Wembley and although he was beaten by a deflected shot at Old Trafford when Nani scored Manchester United's winner last Sunday against Tottenham, he is still clinging on to the No 1 spot.