Every week we will bring you the latest news from this country and abroad as the World Cup in Germany edges ever closer.

England update

Wayne Rooney proved yet again he is the man for the big occasion as he smashed a superb goal for Manchester United against Arsenal.

Rooney had already seen two efforts saved and one hit the post before he opened the scoring at Old Trafford with a thumping finish - his sixth goal in eight games.

Then the Three Lions star did superbly to set up a second goal for Park Ji-Sung as United won 2-0.

"I think I'm doing well," he said. "We're doing fantastic as a team and we've had nine wins in a row - hopefully we can carry on doing that."

England defender John Terry was also in outstanding form. He scored for Chelsea in a 4-1 victory over West Ham at Stamford Bridge and masterminded their return to form.

Goalkeeper David James had an outstanding match for Manchester City at Tottenham, but couldn’t prevent his team losing 2-1 on Saturday. England midfielder Michael Carrick also had a good day, scoring Tottenham’s second with a fine rising shot.

Injury update

Ashley Cole is on track to be fit for England's World Cup squad for Germany.

Cole, 25, has been struggling to shake off a persistent ankle injury and has made just one substitute appearance for his club since October last year. The Three Lions full back will resume full training with the rest of the Arsenal squad on Monday.

Arsene Wenger is hopeful Cole will be ready to play for the reserves against Coventry on 19 April.

"In one more week he could join in a game," Wenger said. "He will soon start full training. It depends now how he will progress, how many injuries we have, whether I will be in a position to bring him back quickly or not. It all depends."

Meanwhile, striker Darren Bent was rested by Charlton for their match against Everton at the weekend. But his ankle injury is not serious and he is expected to play in their FA Cup Quarter-Final replay against Middlesbrough.

Charlton boss Alan Curbishley is also backing defender Luke Young to recover from an ankle injury in time for the World Cup.

"We think it may be about three weeks," he said. "He may just about be back for the end of the season, which I would love him to be. I think he needs to be back to force the issue in the England squad."

Rivals update

Jens Lehmann’s superb form for Arsenal, guiding them to the semi-finals of the Champions League, has been rewarded by his country.

Lehmann has been named as Germany’s first choice goalkeeper for the World Cup by coach Jurgen Klinsmann, beating off competition from Oliver Kahn.

"It was the most difficult decision of my time as coach," admitted Klinsmann. "But we believe that Jens will have a great World Cup and can help our young team to have a fantastic tournament."

Quotes

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has seen a growing maturity in England star Steven Gerrard:

"This year he is calmer, more relaxed and focused on games. He wants to score a lot of goals and you can see in his game he has improved."

Trinidad's Dwight Yorke, who plays for Sydney these days, is enjoying training with Manchester United to keep him fit for the World Cup - after being invited by Sir Alex Ferguson:

"He knows my situation in Australia. He knew the season would be finished in March and then I was going to be struggling. Preparation is very important with only three months to the World Cup, so I decided to give my old manager a ring and he invited me in.

"So far he's been absolutely fantastic and the lads have been great. I feel like I'm part of the squad again."

Is there any World Cup news that we have missed from the weekend? Please let us know what players you saw in the last few days that you feel could make their mark in Germany, simple click here.