The absence of naturally left-footed players is nothing new to England coaches and Kevin Keegan could do worse than study Sir Alf Ramsey's solution to the problem.

Ramsey, who gave Keegan his debut as an England player in 1972, won the World Cup in 1966 with only one natural left-footer - Ray Wilson.

Having abandoned wingers because those he had weren't considered good enough, he created a system that maximised the talent available.

Keegan may have to do the same. With the withdrawal of the injured Jason Wilcox emphasising the current dearth of left-footed players, the England coach now finds himself wrestling with a similar problem as he prepares to name his 22 for the European Championship next month.

Ramsey's 4-3-3 formation in 1966, a revolutionary strategy at the time, gave West Ham's versatile Martin Peters the responsibility for England's left flank.

Peters, just 22 and naturally right footed, was so comfortable in the role that he won 67 caps for his country and was acclaimed as one of England's most successful players in the final tournaments in 1966 and 1970.

'As a youngster I started off on the right, though the coaching we received from Ron Greenwood at West Ham encouraged all of us to use both feet,' recalled Peters today.

'In the end players like me, Bobby Moore and Geoff Hurst were comfortable using either foot. I did prefer using my right but I didn't have a problem playing on the left.

'We worked a lot on technique and ball skills at West Ham at that time and, subsequently, even players who were predominantly right-footed could do okay on the left.

'To be honest, I find it strange today that so many Premier League players struggle with their left foot.

'It was a matter of pride to me that I could use either foot. I didn't carry the ball past defenders very often because I wasn't quick enough, but I could still get a cross in from the left. Remember the one against Argentina in 1966?'

It was a left-wing cross from Peters, profiting from Wilson's forward pass, that provided Hurst with the near-post header that gave England a 1-0 victory in the quarter-final.

That, the first time Ramsey had played without wingers in the World Cup, set the pattern for the rest of the tournament.

In the previous three games he had used one winger in a 4-4-2 formation - the left-footed John Connelly against Uruguay plus right wingers Terry Paine against Mexico and Ian Callaghan against France.

My personal favourite among the world's great left-footed players is the Brazilian Rivelino, who could split any defence with a mere waft of his left which also packed a ferocious shot, especially from free-kicks.

'He was brilliant,' said Hurst. 'He and Puskas were in a class of their own.'

Hurst, of course, demonstrated the value of being adept with both feet in the 1966 World Cup Final, scoring the perfect hat-trick - one with his right, one with his left and another with his head.

But down the years the naturally left-footed player has become an endangered species and a glimpse at Keegan's 28-strong squad for the warm-up matches against Brazil and Ukraine suggests extinction is not far away.

England have had some outstanding left-footed players such as Kenny Sansom (86 caps), Terry Butcher (77) and John Barnes (79).

The best of the most recent ones were Bryan Robson (90) and Stuart Pearce (78) who, but for a broken leg, would have been a contender for the Euro 2000 squad even at the age of 38. He and Arsenal's Nigel Winterburn, aged 36, remain among the best English left-backs in the Premiership.

That really tells you all you need to know about the problems facing Keegan - and future England coaches. The problem becomes worse, of course, when we compare ourselves with some of our European football rivals like Holland and France.

The beauty of the Dutch idea of 'total football' developed in the 1960s and 1970s is that their coaching produces players who are comfortable on the ball regardless of what position they find themselves on the pitch.

So Keegan may have little option but to follow Ramsey's example and tailor team and tactics to suit the available players.

A 4-4-2 formation, for instance, ideally requires two left-footed players. With 3-5-2 you can get away with just one.

No team provides a better example of natural width on the left than the Premiership champions, Manchester United.

The value of a natural left-winger such as Ryan Giggs, a Welshman who could have played for England, is so obvious that, whenever he's been unfit for any length of time, Sir Alex Ferguson has invariably tried to sign a replacement.

A good passing team, like United, require space, especially in the wide positions. The poorer passing teams try to play a tighter, more compact game.

Peters, who played in every position for West Ham, including goal-keeper, believes that good footballers can improvise and adapt to any system.

'Alf Ramsey used to tell us that it was his intention to get the best out of the players available to him,' he said.

'In my case I wasn't a natural left footer but I compensated for that by learning to read the game and knowing where to receive the ball so that it was to my best advantage. Perhaps I was fortunate to play with people like Bobby and Geoff at club level because they knew where I liked to receive the ball.

'But any player can learn how to pull away from a defender to collect the ball in the right place at the right time.

'Playing that wide role is all about when and where to run and recognising that, if you can't get outside the defender, come inside and pass the ball.

'We've known about the problem of left-footed players for years and I can't see the point of panicking now that the tournament is on top of us.

'I'm sure Kevin knows what he's doing. Like Alf, he has to find a system that suits the available players.'