The Daily Express – still MAF’s paper of choice after all these years – has the inside scoop that Clint Dempsey believes his injury he suffered at Blackburn wasn’t as serious as we all first feared and that he might be able to play for the USA in South Africa after all.

The Fulham midfielder has told the US Soccer federation and coach Bob Bradley to keep him in their plans for this summer’s World Cup. It had been thought Dempsey’s World Cup hopes were hanging by a thread after the initial prognosis, according to Roy Hodgson, suggested he had damaged cruciate knee ligaments. There’s been no subsequent word from Fulham on the full extent of Dempsey’s injury.