TERRY VENABLES insists he is right to leave his Euro `96 contenders in suspense right up to the last moment as he anguishes over the hardest decision he has ever bad to make.
While many of his biggest rivals Holland, Italy and Germany among them have blithely named their 22 man squads for the finals which begin in little over three weeks, around 30 Englishmen face another 12 days of nail biting. Even Gary Pallister and Steve Howey, predictably omitted from the 27 strong Far East tour party, are not without faint chances.
And the re-emergence of Aston Villa's Ugo Ehiogu, recalled from stand by to cover for Tony Adams, proves in the words of Graham Taylor that no one should ever say never.
Venables wants the players going into tomorrow's final Wembley warm up against Hungary and the games in China and Hong Kong knowing there is still everything to play for.
Ehiogu, one of five uncapped players in the 27, offers immediate cover for Adams in case his steady recovery from knee problems hits a snag.
Pallister would have been there instead were it not for the persistent back problem which restricts him to one game a week, while Howey's slow recovery from a calf strain six weeks ago hit his chances.
The absence of Paul Gascoigne, Steve McManaman and Robbie Fowler, and a minor doubt over Steve Stone, offers Venables the chance to put a bit of experience into his rookies tomorrow.
Phil Neville could feature against Hungary, and Sol Campbell could also get a run.
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