Fabio Capello Faces England Injruy Crisis After Emile Heskey Turns Down One-Time Recall

Emile Heskey has joined Paul Scholes as former England internationals who have turned down Fabio Capello's requests to rejoin the national team.

Scholes now famously turned-down the England manager's request to join the team at this summer's World Cup in South Africa. Now Heskey, who announced his international retirement after this summer's tournament, has declined a request to join England for their October Euro 2012 qualifier.

Capello faces a shortage of strikers. Tottenham's Jermain Defoe is out until late 2010. Heskey's teammate Gabriel Agbonlahor has incurred a groin injury, while Fulham's Bobby Zamora's out until early 2011 with a broken leg. Thanks to an ankle injury, Wayne Rooney has not played in Manchester United's last two matches, leaving Capello with Spurs' Peter Crouch and recently-benched (for West Ham United) Carlton Cole.

Capello will hear calls to give Newcastle's Andy Carroll a debut, with Michael Owen's name certain to surface in the papers.

England will likely need at least three forwards for their October 12 match with Montenegro. If Rooney is one of them, Capello may need to recall a fourth as cover.

Heskey, despite stronger performances in each of his two appearances for new Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier, will not be one of them, having "refused to make himself available."