Things are so bad for England that Emile is set to play

The England head coach is still hoping to have Lampard available for next week's clash against Russia, with the Chelsea midfielder receiving around-the-clock treatment, including time in an oxygen chamber, for his thigh injury.

His club manager Jose Mourinho said last night: "I think he cannot play but maybe Steve McClaren has some hope."

McClaren sent for Heskey after changing his plans for Saturday's European Championship qualifier against Israel.

He intended to go with a 4-3-3 formation, with Joe Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips deployed either side of Michael Owen, and Lampard, Owen Hargreaves and Steven Gerrard in midfield.

But Lampard's injury has left McClaren favouring a 4-4-2 formation that requires a partner for Owen, and Heskey has a proven track record alongside his former England and Liverpool strike partner.

Wayne Rooney is injured, Peter Crouch is suspended against Israel, Alan Smith was disappointing against Germany last month, and Andy Johnson and Jermain Defoe are both considered too similar to Owen.

The England head coach faces another headache today when defender Sol Campbell pulls out of the squad with a hamstring injury.

McClaren watched Owen and Heskey in action at Newcastle on Saturday and concluded it was time to reunite the duo.

While Heskey has scored just five goals in 43 internationals, Owen netted 11 in 12 starts with Heskey — the most fruitful international partnership of his career.

However, the Wigan forward has not even been included in an England squad since March 2005.

He has impressed for Wigan this season, though, and McClaren said: "Emile is a player with a lot of international experience and has played many times with Michael Owen. He has been in good form for Wigan this season and I saw him play well against Newcastle.

"The loss of Frank has changed my thoughts a bit, so we are looking at what partnership and system will get the best out of Michael Owen."

Heskey seemed as stunned as anyone yesterday, saying: "It's a huge honour to be called up. I have to admit it comes as a bit of a surprise but I always believed I could get another chance."

McClaren could switch back to his original 4-3-3 plan against Russia if Lampard recovers in time, which would be welcome when Gerrard's fitness remains a concern after the broken toe that forced him to miss Liverpool's 6-0 win against Derby on Saturday.

McClaren told the BBC yesterday: "We're not going to take any risks over Stevie, but he wants to play and we want him to play for the two games. He's making good progress. We will assess him again during the week, but I expect him to be available for the two games."

Campbell missed Portsmouth's 3-1 defeat against Arsenal yesterday after failing a fitness test and Newcastle's Steven Taylor is set to be promoted from the Under 21s as replacement.