The 'will he, won't he' saga surrounding the possible World Cup bow of Wayne Rooney will not go away and, whilst the nation is divided over whether the England ace should play tomorrow, Trinidad coach Leo Beenhakker says he wants to see Rooney line up against his men.
The word from the England camp is that the striker is in good physical condition despite more than six weeks out with a broken foot and, whilst many would argue it's too soon to take the gamble on playing him against Trinidad, Dutchman Beenhakker believes Rooney should return against the Caribbean minnows after just six days on an intensive fitness programme.
Sven-Goran Eriksson has refused to rule Rooney out of Thursday's game in Nuremberg and the squad would be visibly lifted by his return. Beenhakker says: "I hope Wayne can play. You have to see the great players at the World Cup. I hope he's ready for part of the game. Perhaps for 20 minutes Wayne will come on the pitch. As a fan of football I'm looking forward to seeing him."
However, Trinidad's former Manchester United striker Dwight Yorke warned England it will be a physical encounter. T&T pulled off a surprise goalless draw against Sweden in their first game due to a robust approach, which saw Avery John become the first man to receive a red card in the tournament.
But Yorke dismissed any notion of a change in approach, saying: "We have to be aggressive if we are to have a glimmer of hope. We have to play with intensity and determination - not just against Rooney - the whole of England will know they have been in a physical game."
However, Yorke also claimed that Sir Alex Ferguson will be delighted to see Rooney perform on this stage. He continued: "He'll be positive about Rooney playing. He would be happy for him. He has to be 100 per cent before he plays. I'm sure that will be the case if he plays."
Whilst the nation waits on Rooney and expects England to deliver another victory, David Beckham has warned that Yorke is still a potent force. Beckham knows first hand of Yorke's qualities as the pair played a major role in helping Ferguson's side win the treble of Champions League, Premiership and FA Cup in 1999.
He formed a prolific partnership alongside Andy Cole before leaving Old Trafford to have spells with Blackburn and Birmingham before heading Down Under to play for Sydney FC. Thirty-four-year-old Yorke, who now operates in midfield for his country, admits he has found a new lease of life since being persuaded to come out of international retirement.
Becks says of his pal: "Dwight Yorke is still a force and being the person he is, he'd love to put one over England. I haven't seen him play for a while but, for me, he was one of the best strikers around. Dwight and Andy Cole formed one of the best strike partnerships in their time at Old Trafford that I have played with over so many years.
"We won Premierships, FA Cups and the European Cup and Yorkey was a huge, huge part of the team in that year (1999). He is a good friend of mine and he is one those people who, whatever happens to him in his life and his career, has always got a smile on his face. He is always happy and it is nice to be like that. He is a great person.
"I know he was training with United, keeping himself fit, at the end of last season. Hopefully he is not too fit and he is getting on a bit now - but he is still a player we will have to be careful of. He is their star player and all of their players look up to him because of what he achieved outside of his country at Aston Villa and then United."
Beckham and the other England players took a rare break from World Cup preparations on Monday to spend time with their families - a move Beckham welcomed after all the hype surrounding their opening fixture against Paraguay.
He said: "We're here in Germany to do a job and hopefully go all the way and win the trophy but it's always nice to see the families because we are away from home for five weeks. We are taking it seriously but a free day with family is nice. We had a day and a half off and it also gave us a chance to get rid of blisters and knocks.
"If you listen to every bit of criticism as a player it's going to affect you - and you can't let that happen. As for Michael (Owen), He's got his fitness levels back up and he will come good. Michael always does come good in the major tournaments."
