David James vows to be fit for England in South Africa

David James insists he will be fit to be England’s No.1 at the World Cup.

James, 39, has reassured Fabio Capello about his fitness after being left out of England’s friendly with Brazil in Qatar.

England boss Capello claimed afterwards that he is worried about James because he says the Portsmouth keeper cannot train properly for two days after a game.

James is still Capello’s undisputed first pick as Ben Foster is third choice at Manchester United, and the Italian has doubts about West Ham’s Rob Green.

But James says he will be ready for England’s next friendly on March 3 which is the last game before Capello names his provisional squad for South Africa.

The Pompey star had knee and shoulder surgery in the summer and is still doing rehabilitation work on his left knee in the gym after games. But he insists he will return to full and normal training in the next few weeks.

Veteran James also says it will not affect his ability to play in games and it is Portsmouth boss Paul Hart who is being extra cautious, having rushed him back after surgery to help the crisis club’s fight against relegation.

James said: “After the operation I was a little bit too eager on the rehabilitation - it is genuinely nothing to do with age.

“It would be easier if I had the injury a number of times and knew what I was dealing with.

“When I had the operation in the summer I felt great afterwards so thought I would just crack on rather than take my time but things are improving all the time.”

James won his 49th cap after coming on as substitute during last month’s defeat in Ukraine after Green was sent off – only for Foster to start the win over Belarus four days later.

James added: “I missed the Belarus game because I could not train. I was a bit frustrated because it would have been my 50th cap and it would have been nice to do it at Wembley.

“When I first got back in the squad at 38 I was keen to show I was not just there for the ride and that is still the case.”

James turns 40 next August but is still a dedicated trainer and believes he can carry on for several more seasons yet.

He remains super fit and came back from a career-threatening cruciate knee ligament injury in a record time of 11 weeks earlier in his career so is philosophical about his current problems.

James stayed behind with Portsmouth for the entire international break after talking to Capello’s assistant Franco Baldini who agreed it was best for him to build up his fitness.

But Capello will keep the door open for James as much as possible and if the Portsmouth veteran is fit and in form then he will definitely start the World Cup.

Capello rates Foster but has doubts about him now he has lost his place at United. Capello even tried to call up Scott Carson to replace Green in the squad last month ahead of Foster but the West Brom keeper was injured.

Green did not even make the bench in Doha with Birmingham’s on-loan prospect Joe Hart getting the nod to be back-up for Foster.

It is believed that Capello has doubts about Green’s command of the box and presence which were not helped by the West Ham keeper’s red card in Ukraine as the England boss was alarmed by his decision making.

Foster looked to be winning the battle after starting the season as United’s No.1 with Edwin van Der Sar injured. But the Dutchman’s return has seen Foster ousted and even relegated behind Thomas Kuszczak.

Foster has admitted he is “very disheartened“ after falling out of favour at Old Trafford and his chances are fading whilst stuck in United’s reserves while Hart lacks experience.

Capello and Baldini have both looked closely at Blackburn’s Paul Robinson and the former England number one has been in excellent form this season despite Rovers’ poor results.

But Robinson was surprisingly omitted with no explanation in Doha and it may be that Capello turns back to the Blackburn keeper for the friendly in March.

However, James still remains in pole position and, despite his injuries, is hot favourite for South Africa.

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp is still a big admirer of James and would love to persuade Spurs chairman Daniel Levy to sign the giant keeper.

Redknapp could not get his way in the summer and failed with a last ditch bid largely because Levy was reluctant to sign another big-name keeper with Heurelho Gomes and Carlo Cudicini on the books.

But after Cudicini’s motorbike smash, the Italian is likely to be out for three months and that could be the end of his Spurs career as his contract expires in the summer. That will open the door for James and may help his chances further but Portsmouth will be desperate to hold onto the England keeper as he remains their best hope of survival in the Premier League.

Capello is hoping to line up a friendly in March against opposition relevant to next month’s World Cup draw so if England get an African team in their Group then they will want to play another team from that continent.

It will be seen as one last dress rehearsal for South Africa and James is confident he will be back as No.1 in March - and ready to prove himself for next summer.