In the end Healy joined Sunderland for £2million, but Hodgson said: "We are still working on that deal. Although we've signed a lot of players this summer we've still got only a 21-man squad really - and we'll lose a lot of that to the internationals next week.

"We've not got players who play for England but so many who go all around the world when these international weeks come up. It takes a lot away from our training and preparation."

Fulham are not in action again until September 13, at home to Bolton, but might want it to come quicker after almost embarrassing themselves in Wednesday night's 3-2 Carling Cup win over Leicester at Craven Cottage.

Four days after beating Arsenal they led just after the half-hour mark through Hungarian Zoltan Gera's deflected strike but fell behind as rampant Leicester struck twice in four minutes right after the interval.

Ex-Gunner Paul Dickov, 35, equalised and midfielder Andy King curled a beauty beyond goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer.

A full-strength Fulham looked dead and buried until Jimmy Bullard's wonder strike from 20 yards into the top left-hand corner seven minutes from the end.

Then skipper Danny Murphy - whose goal kept Fulham in the Premier League last season - rifled another deflected shot from distance for a stoppage-time winner.

Hodgson admitted: "We know we've got ourselves off the hook but we were not guilty of complacency.

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