I CAN understand why Ralph is a bit concerned about his player involvement at international level.

It shows the difference between managing an international team and a club team.

Whilst he will be pleased and proud of his players, he probably wishes there wasn’t a game in case they come back injured and unable to play for his team – which is the most important thing to him at present.

However, the England players will now be hoping they are in the first XI, particularly as it is a competitive game as opposed to a friendly, where the manager could make lots of changes.

Danny Ings deserves it, when you think apart from Jamie Vardy, who has pulled out of international football, he was the highest goalscorer in the Premier League. But also the fact he has international experience, albeit from about five years ago.

He should get in and, of course, he has plenty to prove.

James Ward-Prowse deserves a place in my opinion as being one of the only players in the Premier League that never missed a minute of the whole season.

Apart from that, he is probably, in my opinion, the best set-piece player. Often international games can be won from a free-kick. Let’s hope they are in.

I will also be interested to see the system Gareth Southgate uses. In the old days, there wasn’t such a thing. Players were full-backs, centre-halves, midfield or forwards – that was it.

Then, starting on the continent, they came in with back threes, fours or fives. I personally experimented at one stage and came up with the three at the back, simply because of the positions of the players I had in the squad.

It meant two centre-halves could be on the pitch together, as opposed to one being a tight marker with the other one covering.

Both of them could mark what would then become two centre-forwards, as opposed to one in the old systems. They could stay tight, as the third defender would be covering.

It would also enable the wingers to go forward and get over the halfway line when necessary because the space behind them would be covered by the spare man, who would drift across.

It was a huge success for the squad I had at the time but, of course, with so many more players in squads, I suppose any one of a number of systems can be played – but it should always be according to any players who are in the best form at any one time.

Away from football, I am always pleased to see British competitors doing well. Lewis Hamilton keeps winning and is heading for 100 Grand Prix victories.

The other man in the news, Andy Murray, is praised in a lot of ways because it was thought at one time he would have to retire because of hip surgery.

Let me tell you, I’m a bit of an expert on hips.

More than 20 years ago I was recommended to have my hips looked at by two ex-players I met at Lilleshall in the week at the end of the season, when the FA got coaches and managers together.

These two amateurs, Alf D’Arcy, a legend at Barnet who was described as the best player not to go professional, a centre-half at less than five-and-a-half feet tall.

Also his big pal Tommy Lawrence, a centre-forward and a legend for Enfield, who went on to manage them.

The two of them were regulars for the England amateur team which, in those days, could nearly fill Wembley.

They had recommended I had go and see a gentleman called Derek McMinn. I went in on a Wednesday night, he operated on my right hip on the Thursday morning and my left hip on the following Thursday.

Two or three days after, my son Sean collected me. I hobbled around on crutches for a short time but, touch wood, I have had no problems ever since.

The reason I would like to bump into Andy at some stage is because he tends to give credit to the surgeon that did his hip as if they invented it. In fact, Mr McMinn invented it.

He didn’t believe in breaking bones as much as they did in the old hip replacing operation and in fact invented the hip resurfacing.

When I had mine done, I was probably one of his earliest patients – I’m not sure he would do two in a week anymore.

Shortly after, his operation was accepted worldwide and I would recommend it to anyone.