Chelsea winger Joe Cole is happy to just be involved for England at the World Cup.

Cole is unlikely to get the chance to improve on his cameo performance in the crucial win over Slovenia last Wednesday when Fabio Capello names his starting line-up to face the Germans this afternoon for a place in the quarterfinals in Cape Town next Saturday.

But Cole was happy to be involved, saying: "It was lovely to play a part. I was itching to get on.

"I've heard about people saying I should have been in before, but I just do my thing. All footballers want to play and the manager has to choose. I am ready to give it a go. I have a lot of experience now and I am delighted. When you get to the knockout stages it's about how you perform."