LONDON: Jermain Defoe has been asked to travel to Germany with the England team for the World Cup finals in case Wayne Rooney will not be able to play.
The BBC reported that England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson confirmed that Defoe would be travelling with the team to Germany on Monday.
Manchester United's Rooney is still suffering from an injury and will undergo a further scan in Manchester Wednesday to see whether he can play or not. He has already been ruled out for England's Group B matches against Trinidad & Tobago, Paraguay and Sweden.
"Defoe goes with us to Germany because we have to be insured about Wayne Rooney," Eriksson was quoted by the BBC as saying.
The Swede added that he was confident that Rooney would be able to travel to Germany from Manchester Wednesday. "I have no doubts about it - but I can't be sure, of course, until the scan is done."
FIFA rules state that any team can replace an injured player up to 24 hours before their first match at the finals.
