PRINCE WILLIAM did not enter the debate about holding midfield players on a visit to the England camp yesterday, but he did make one plea before the World Cup finals. “Please, no penalties,” he said on a trip to Manchester to wish Sven-Göran Eriksson’s squad good luck.

Knocked out of four of the past seven big tournaments on spot-kicks, the England players were practising from 12 yards as the Prince arrived at Manchester United’s Carrington training ground. “I remember many moments from previous tournaments, especially penalties,” he said. As an occasional striker himself, perhaps he could have passed on a few tips.

“It would be awesome if we could win the World Cup,” the Prince said. “There is a feeling of camaraderie that goes across the whole nation. I wanted to send a good luck message directly to the players and they have promised to bring it home for us.

“I am 150 per cent behind them, as I imagine the rest of the country is. Football has got a huge place in the country. It captures everybody’s imagination and passion and helps drive and enthuse and inspire.”

The Prince took a break from officer training at Sandhurst to spend a couple of hours with the team. The Windsors have not previously embraced the national game but, in his role as president of the Football Association, William is said to be eager to do more than present trophies. He is helping to promote the FA’s “Get Into Football” grassroots initiative and will be travelling to Germany to watch England’s first match, against Paraguay, a week tomorrow.

Yesterday he found the England camp in good spirits. He heard from Wayne Rooney that the United striker remained confident of playing a part in the finals and was even given some gentle ribbing about his support for Aston Villa, a passion sparked by a trip to Wembley for an FA Cup semi-final in 2000. “He went to watch them as a youngster but I would have thought Chelsea is the local team for Buckingham Palace,” Joe Cole said.

The Prince not only got to observe the players in action but also Peter Crouch’s new goal celebration, his robotic dance. “The other players goaded me into it,” the Liverpool striker said. “The future King of England’s there and I’ve done a dance in front of him. That’s a bit surreal.”

Although Cole did describe William as “more of a rugby man”, the Prince claims to be passionate about his football. He would not be drawn on the vexed issue of Eriksson’s team selection after watching yesterday’s training session, in which Steve McClaren took the players through the 3-1 victory over Hungary on Tuesday night and the lessons that could be drawn from the experiment with Steven Gerrard behind Michael Owen in attack.

There was always a danger that Owen would struggle as a lone striker, but the system, featuring a holding player, is almost certain to be used at some stage in the tournament and Eriksson must decide whether to persevere with it against Jamaica tomorrow or to revert to 4-4-2, the likely formation against Paraguay.

One complication is that Gary Neville will miss tomorrow’s match because of a hamstring strain and so either Jamie Carragher or Owen Hargreaves, both candidates for the holding role, will be required at right back.

Crouch hopes to be given the chance to lend Owen some support up front. His decent finish against Hungary and his celebration have helped to soften the attitude of England supporters to the gangly striker. “I feel as confident as I have in my life,” he said.

He is certain to play a big role in Germany even if he is not in the starting line-up and, while his goals-per-game ratio remains well below the best strikers, he has already proved for England that his height can make him a nuisance. A demand from Rafael Benítez, his club manager, for a more robust approach should also benefit his country.

“The manager felt at the time that I wasn’t doing enough of that, but I think I have developed my game,” Crouch said. “I am more aggressive in my play. You have to put yourself about, especially the size I am.”

Crouch has promised to continue his dancing “if it makes everybody happy”. Yesterday it made the future King of England laugh.