England defender Matthew Upson suffered a injury head injury while training with the national side in Austria in preparation for the World Cup (England 6/1 to win the World Cup outright).

The West Ham defender’s position in the squad is by no means guaranteed. Fabio Capello is yet to trim his 30-man squad down to 23 and, while John Terry and Rio Ferdinand are expected to make the final list, the other central defenders who will travel are less certain.

Upson faces a battle with Liverpool’s Jamie Carragher and Spurs pair Ledley King and Michael Dawson as he bids to make the final squad.

Upson clashed heads with a team-mate and lay on the floor for a brief period before getting up and resuming training.

The Hammers star suffered a large cut to his head, but should be OK to continue training and no reports have emerged suggesting he could miss out on the international showpiece in South Africa.

As the World Cup grows closer and close England will be desperate to ensure none of their players suffer any injuries in training. 

There are concerns over the fitness of Manchester City midfielder Gareth Barry who has not played since May 5 with an ankle injury. He is due to have a scan on Monday which should reveal whether or not he will be fit to travel to South Africa (1/16 England – To Qualify From Group C).