Ljungberg is a threat to England (Allsport).

By Frank Malley, PA Chief Sports Writer, Myazaki

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Freddie Ljungberg will ease his battered body out of bed on Sunday morning and, aches and pains allowing, attempt to cap an extraordinary year by shattering the World Cup hopes of England.

The dashing Swede, with the red flash of hair and perpetual motion style, has already helped break the heart of Sir Alex Ferguson, seven goals in Arsenal's last eight games of the Premiership season integral in wresting the Premiership crown from Old Trafford.

He's not too high on Chelsea's Christmas card list either after his brilliant strike won the FA Cup final for Arsenal at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.

But it is the World Cup which has fuelled Ljungberg's dreams through a gruelling season which began on a pre-season tour last July and which will end sometime in the next month - almost a year of non-stop action. Twelve months in which there has been no time for rest and recuperation, not even time for the heady success of his first two trophies at Highbury to sink in.

No wonder the pains surfaced in groin and back and hip, requiring a scan after he limped out of training on Wednesday. A muscle pull was feared, his World Cup was put on hold but the doctors could find no damage - and dependant on a strenuous fitness test designed to restore his confidence he will take his place against England.

"It was a lot of games at the end of the season especially with the FA Cup," said Ljungberg.

"We couldn't train that hard between them and I got very tired. In the last 15 minutes of the last two or three games I felt I didn't have anything more to give. "England have had similar problems with their players but unfortunately that's how it is. It's too many games at the end of the season to then play a World Cup.

"There are so many games in England that a lot of players have small, niggling injuries that they play with. You need a couple of weeks to rest everything but there's no space for it.

"I wouldn't have missed it though. I enjoyed it. When we won at Old Trafford we celebrated afterwards but straightaway had to start concentrating on the World Cup. Personally I don't really think I have let the double sink in yet. I'll do it after the World Cup and enjoy it then. I still have a lot of work to do."

If such industry scales the heights of this season's work, which many thought would have won him the Footballer of the Year award if the votes had been cast a shade later, then his countryman, England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, has genuine reason to worry.

Not that you will see Ljungberg in the surging, swashbuckling role which prompted Arsenal fans to manufacture a chant of 'We love you Freddie...' to the tune of Andy Williams' hit 'Can't Take My Eyes off You' and which did, incidentally, win him the Barclaycard Player of the Season award.

Sweden are neither so adventurous nor possess the personnel to accommodate such cavalier invention in the opposing penalty box.

Much of Ljungberg's work for his country is done much deeper, in front of his own defence - more of a protective foil than a flashing rapier.

It is not about to change on Sunday, according to Sweden's co-coach Lars Lagerback, especially as he is likely to be playing directly opposite David Beckham. "He has gone on offensive runs in the Swedish team," says Lagerback.

"But with the players we have he is more involved in the last pass and setting up chances for other people with his running.

"We don't have players like Vieira in the central midfield. We have to play according to the players we have."

For his own part Ljungberg, who has scored just two goals for his country, shows much more diplomacy when discussing his international role than when berating team-mates in training, admitting he prefers the way he plays for Arsenal but recognising sacrifices have to be made for the cause.

"If the coaches want me to be more defensive that's the work I'm going to do," he says.

"It's up to them. It doesn't really matter what I think. But it has been my best season. I felt very good. I was injured for two months and I was down then because I was worried whether I could get back to form for the World Cup but it worked out well.

"I know people say I had the chance to get the Footballer of the Year and it would be a big honour. But I got the Barclaycard one and I'm very proud of that.

"I look forward to playing England. I know a lot of players in the England team but at the same time they know me. I've played against them a lot and I'm trying to think of this as just a normal game."

If he believes that then the aches and pains must truly have gone to his head.