John Terry World Cup dream in doubt after foot injury in training

The Chelsea captain, John Terry, has injured his foot in training, raising question marks over his participation in Saturday's FA Cup final and this summer's World Cup in South Africa. The club this afternoon confirmed that Terry had sustained a "knock" in training and had left for hospital wearing a protective boot for a "precautionary" scan. Chelsea, who face Portsmouth in Saturday's showpiece final as they attempt to win the Double, attempted to play down the seriousness of the injury and said the extent of it would not be known until the results of the scan were received tomorrow. • Paul Hayward: Capello Index drops to Sven's level • Digger: A taxing time for the Capello brand • Carragher not guaranteed a place, insists Capello • In pictures: England's 30-man preliminary squad • In video: Kevin McCarra's analysis of the squad "John Terry has today taken a knock in training and has gone to hospital for a precautionary scan on his right foot," said the club in a statement. "He left Cobham walking freely in a protective boot, and we await the results which are expected on Thursday." Terry's rollercoaster season saw him stripped of the England captaincy by Fabio Capello in the wake of allegations of an affair with the ex-girlfriend of his former team-mate Wayne Bridge but then lift the Premier League trophy. He was included in Capello's initial squad of 30 yesterday and would be expected to feature in the starting XI against the USA on 12 June. Capello will be hoping that the injury is not as bad as feared, given the injury problems he already faces in central defence. Rio Ferdinand, Terry's replacement as captain, has struggled for fitness all season and Ledley King has a long-standing knee problem, with concerns over whether he could play several matches in quick succession. The other alternatives included in Capello's initial squad are Matthew Upson, Jamie Carragher and Michael Dawson. If Terry has suffered a serious foot injury, it would follow the pattern of other key players who faced a race against time to get fit for the World Cup. In 2002, David Beckham broke his metatarsal and in 2006 Wayne Rooney suffered a similar injury. Following feverish speculation, both played in the World Cup but the injuries blunted their effectiveness. If the scan shows that Terry has suffered a serious injury, it would be another blow to Capello during a difficult week. He was forced to put a new commercial player-rating venture called the Capello Index on ice after Football Association executives feared it could undermine England's World Cup bid. He also failed in a last-ditch attempt to bring Paul Scholes out of international retirement. Capello already faces an uncertain wait to discover whether another of his planned first-choice team, Gareth Barry, will be fit in time for the World Cup. If Terry was ruled out of the World Cup it could potentially open the door for the return of Bridge, who retired from international football after concluding he could not be part of the same squad as the former England captain.