Ljungberg's injuries 'not good' says doctor

The day after David Beckham was declared fit to play in tomorrow's Group F opener, the Swedish midfielder Fredrik Ljungberg limped off the practice field again here, apparently still bothered by an injury to his left hip and groin.

While the 22 other Swedish squad members went full out in the drizzle on Rugby Field at their southern Japanese training camp, Ljungberg jogged alone around the pitch. He completed two laps, stretched for a while and then jogged another half-lap before limping off.

It did not look good, and a serious face disclosed that he was not happy. Ljungberg did not talk to the media, but the team physician Anders Valentin confirmed that "it's better, but it's not good".

Ljungberg returned about 20 minutes later after treatment behind closed doors and spent the remainder of the session watching from the sidelines.

"Fredrik just jogged because we didn't want to take any risks," said Lars Lagerback, one of Sweden's two coaches. "We talked this over with the team doctors. He'll test again [today] and then we'll see."

Asked what it would mean without Ljungberg playing, Lagerback said, "I don't want to speculate." The Arsenal midfielder has said that painkillers could be an option.

Ljungberg had seven goals in his last eight games for Arsenal this season, but he has been more of a provider than a big goalscorer for Sweden with only two goals in 32 games.