Eriksson fearful of player burn-out

Sven-Goran Eriksson fears the demands of international football may lead to a growing number of players cutting short their England careers.

Sven-Goran Eriksson fears the demands of international football may lead to a growing number of players cutting short their England careers.

The Swede, whose team face minnows Azerbaijan in a World Cup qualifier at Newcastle's St James' Park later Wednesday, has admitted more of his top players may follow the example of Manchester United's Paul Scholes and retire from international football to spend more time with their family.

Eriksson added that this could even happen to Scholes's former Old Trafford midfield team-mate and England captain David Beckham after the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany.

"I hope David Beckham is captain for the World Cup. Physically there is no reason at all why he shouldn't go on playing football for a number of years at the highest level and after the next World Cup," Eriksson told Wednesday's London Evening Standard.

"But mentally you might wake up one day and say 'I'm tired of this'. That's why many players start saying 'no thank you' to international football.

"It's too much - the travelling, staying in hotels and playing international football while the other players are having a few days' holiday."

Meanwhile Eriksson admitted Chelsea skipper John Terry was close to replacing Arsenal's Sol Campbell as Rio Ferdinand's partner at the heart of England's defence.

With Campbell currently injured, Terry kept his place in an unchanged team from the one that beat Northern Ireland 4-0 at Old Trafford last Saturday.

And Eriksson said another fine display from Terry "will give me a huge headache because we have three of the best centrehalves in the world".

Terry's leadership experience could also tip the balance in his favour. He has already led Chelsea to the League Cup this season and with the Blues 11 points clear at the top of the Premiership table and in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, Terry could be collecting two more trophies before the season is finished.

Eriksson said: "We have a lot of leaders in this team. There is John Terry, who is captain of Chelsea, but also Rio Ferdinand and Steven Gerrard."

England top European qualifying zone Group Six and will be firm favourites to beat basement side Azerbaijan who were thrashed 8-0 by Poland last weekend.

But when England travelled to Baku in October they were made to work hard in a 1-0 win where only Michael Owen's goal separated the visitors from a team coached by Brazil's 1970 World Cup-winning captain Carlos Alberto.