james see himself no 1

England goalkeeper David James expects to be fully fit for next summer's World Cup final
David James is hoping to be England's No.1 in South Africa
The 39-year-old missed Saturday's friendly against Brazil because of an ongoing knee problem, which has also seen him given a special training routine which gives him time off on Mondays.

But the Portsmouth stopper is adamant that by the time the World Cup finals roll around, he will be fit and available to be Fabio Capello's first-choice keeper.

"I'm not concerned about my knee and it will not be a reason why I won't be fit for the World Cup," told the Daily Mail. "If the injury was a serious one I'd be looking to rest for a number of weeks and miss a load of games for Portsmouth.

"But I don't need to and that should tell you everything. By managing the situation, I am able to play every week. But I missed England squads earlier in the season because I couldn't train the way the manager [Fabio Capello] wanted me to.

"He has a very strict policy. If you can't do their training before a game he won't pick you and that's fair enough. And I missed the last squad for Brazil because it was considered more sensible to give me a two-week break.

"The same went for a number of the lads. For me, it has proved a good decision because the knee is getting better all the time.''

And James admitted he hopes to win his 50th cap when England next play in March.

"By the time England play again in March my left knee will be fine,' James said. ''I see it as a chance to win my 50th cap, something I'd love to do at Wembley, and if I'm selected I will be fully fit."

He added: "I can see why the manager might be a bit worried but it's not strictly true that I can't train for two days after every game.

"I just have a programme in place for now that is designed to allow the knee time to make a full recovery and it means I don't do any goalkeeping training on a Monday. I just go in the gym and do conditioning work before returning to goalkeeping work the next day.''