LONDON — John Terry has been ruled out of England's World Cup qualifier against Ukraine Tuesday after failing to recover from the ankle injury he suffered in Friday's win over Moldova. Terry damaged his ankle in the first half in Chisinau and aggravated the problem when he landed awkwardly after the break, but the Chelsea defender initially refused to come off as England had already used all its substitutes. He was eventually forced off in the closing minutes and England manager Roy Hodgson admitted after the match that he was keeping his fingers crossed that Terry hadn't caused further damage by playing through the pain barrier. But Terry's ankle was still causing him discomfort despite treatment over the weekend and the center-back won't be available for Ukraine's visit to Wembley. “Following further treatment from the England medical staff Sunday, John Terry will not be available for the World Cup qualifier against Ukraine Tuesday,” a statement on the FA's website confirmed. “Terry suffered an ankle injury in the game with Moldova, and has returned to his club.” Chelsea defender Gary Cahill is likely to replace Terry and partner Joleon Lescott at center-back, with Everton's Phil Jagielka also in contention. Terry's absence is a further blow to Hodgson's plans as Ashley Cole had already been ruled out with the ankle injury that caused the Chelsea left-back to miss the 5-0 win in Moldova. Van Persie ‘world-class' player Ryan Giggs believes Robin van Persie's world-class goalscoring talent will prove the key to Manchester United regaining the Premier League title. United's reign as English champion was ended in agonizing fashion last season as local rival Manchester City pipped it to the title on goal difference on the final day. But United manager Sir Alex Ferguson reacted to that blow by paying Arsenal £24 million to sign Dutch forward van Persie in a bid to ensure a lack of goals wouldn't be a problem again this season. Van Persie, who scored 37 goals in all competitions for Arsenal last term, has made a superb start to life with his new club, scoring four times in three appearances, including a hat trick against Southampton last weekend. And veteran United midfielder Giggs is convinced van Persie's presence is going to end up being the decisive factor in the title battle. “We lost it on goal difference, so hopefully the goals that he's bringing, if it does come down to goal difference, then we'll have the upper hand this time,” Giggs told Sky Sports News Sunday. Giggs also acknowledged that splashing out on the 29-year-old was a necessary departure from Ferguson's transfer policy in recent years, which focused more on investing in the potential of gifted youngsters. “The goals that he's scored, and his performances in general, it's obvious he's a world-class player,” Giggs added. — Agencies
