We missed Chelsea star when he was injured, says coach

Cole has struggled to win a regular place in the Chelsea starting line-up this season and speculation surfaced in the aftermath of his substitution against Germany last month that the 26-year-old feared McClaren was not a fan.

McClaren has been quick to dispel such talk and Cole seems a likely starter on Saturday when England look to take a purposeful step towards Euro 2008 with a victory over Group E qualification rivals Israel at Wembley.

McClaren said: “Joe is very valuable to England. He hardly played for us last season and we missed him.

“He showed how important he was to us in the summer when he came back against Estonia and scored.

“I have made a point to him about his performances and he knows what he has to do.”

With Cole on the left and either Shaun Wright-Phillips or potential debutant David Bentley filling the void created by David Beckham’s absence, McClaren has a genuine threat on both flanks.

However, in Frank Lampard's absence, it seems imperative Steven Gerrard is involved, despite being still a little way from a full recovery after breaking his toe against Toulouse last month.

Gerrard has assured McClaren he will be available for the Israel encounter, plus the equally important clash with Russia the following Wednesday.

The certainty with which Gerrard made his declaration has led to speculation the midfielder would be prepared to have the kind of painkilling injection which allowed him to get through Liverpool’s Premier League encounter with Chelsea at Anfield last month.

There is some doubt as to whether England’s medical staff could carry out such a move, even with the player’s permission, without Liverpool’s approval.

Given McClaren’s insistence his own physios will liaise with their Liverpool counterparts during the week, it is highly unlikely such a scenario would occur anyway.

But, as he bid his talisman farewell, Benitez offered a note of caution.

He said: “We have not taken any risks with Steven at Liverpool and I would not expect England to take any risks with him. We do not want Steven to play for England with any painkilling injections.

“We did that against Chelsea and it took four to five days for him to recover to be able to train again.”