Gerrard, who has been in prime form for club and country so far this season, broke a bone in his foot during last night's Premier League match between Manchester United and Liverpool.

He looks set to be on the sidelines for up to the next two months so Sven will have to break up the burgeoning partnership of Lampard and Gerrard in the engine-room of the team.

"I've spoken to Steven personally," Sven said from Sweden where he's attending a UEFA coaching conference in Stockholm. "It's very disappointing news and we understand he'll be out for up to eight weeks.

"Obviously Steven is a very important player for us but there are several other excellent midfielders in the squad."

This morning Sven was part of a forum involving Karel Brückner (Czech Republic), Kobi Kuhn (Switzerland) and Morten Olsen (Denmark) which debated some of the most pressing issues in football, including the definition of passive and active offside.

Sven stressed the importance of a four-week break between the end of the season and major international tournaments such as the World Cup and European Championship.

The England coach also took the opportunity to dismiss this morning's newspaper headlines which linked him with Real Madrid.

"I haven't been approached in any way," he confirmed. "I have a job and a contract so that's it."

England currently lie in second place in Qualifying Group 6.