Tottenham defender Michael Dawson is playing his way into England's World Cup squad.

The Daily Mail says England manager Fabio Capello has never selected the 26-year-old centre-half in one of his squads but watched him excel against both Chelsea on Saturday and Arsenal last week and now considers him a possible option should his plans be disrupted by further injuries.

Amid concerns over the fitness of players like Rio Ferdinand, Joleon Lescott, Ledley King and Wes Brown - none of whom were in action at the weekend - Capello will watch Dawson again when Tottenham meet Manchester United on Saturday.