Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard believes Tottenham defender Ledley King should be a definite starter in the World Cup squad if England happen to make it.

King struggles with an ongoing knee problem and finds it difficult to train during the week but Gerrard believes the quality of the player is simply good enough.

"Ledley's very highly thought of by his club and the country so it's no surprise they both want him available because he's a fantastic player," Gerrard told an England news conference.

"As an England player, I'm going to be biased and say I'm sorry to see him go home. But he's a Tottenham player and you've got to respect what decision is made.

"He never trains but, when he is out there, he's top drawer, there's no two ways about it. That tells you everything you need to know. When he's fit and available he's as good as anyone out there.

"I'm not really too sure about the extent of his injury problems, but, ability-wise, Ledley's good enough to be in a World Cup squad.

"We're just keeping our fingers crossed that when the World Cup squad is picked, he's fit and available."