McClaren, the England head coach, is hoping that Gerrard's recovery from a broken toe will allow him to take the field without a jab and will consult with doctors and the player before making any decision, but he left no doubt yesterday that as a last resort, he will allow Gerrard to be injected rather than miss such a crucial match.
It leaves the FA on the brink of the biggest club-versus-country fallout since Sven-Göran Eriksson, the former England head coach, infuriated Sir Alex Ferguson by playing Wayne Rooney, the Manchester United striker, at the World Cup finals in 2006. Benítez has said that he does not expect England to take a risk with Gerrard and does not want him to play with a painkilling injection.
Yet McClaren, whose qualifying campaign for the 2008 European Championship could turn on the result of Saturday's match, was in equally defiant mood at the team HQ in Hertfordshire yesterday. Giving the clearest indication yet that he will overrule BenÍtez, provided he is backed by medical opinion, he said: "We will take whatever action is necessary to get Stevie on that field.
"I've got to do what I've got to do to make sure we get the best players available to help us win this game. I think I have the authority to make that decision. I have to do it. It is my job."
McClaren is lifted spiritually by the fact that Gerrard has stated his intention to play in the game and boosted morally by the fact that Benítez was happy for Gerrard to receive a painkilling injection to play for Liverpool in what he perceived to be an important Barclays Premier League match with Chelsea last month. Benítez claims it took the best part of a week for Gerrard to be able to train again after that and he has not played for Liverpool since. If so, playing against Israel would rule Gerrard out of the match with Russia a week today but McClaren, understandably, is not thinking that far ahead. He knows that unless England get the right result on Saturday, the outcome against Russia could be an irrelevance.
Gerrard did not train fully yesterday and may be unable to do little but running until the end of the week. With Frank Lampard definitely out of Saturday's game, however, his significance to McClaren's midfield is enormous and the head coach left little doubt yesterday that this responsibility has been acknowledged.
"We are coming into big games and we need big players," McClaren added. "We need players who want to play. I have spoken to Stevie, he has a great determination to be out there and if he can be, he will. We discussed players and their responsibility.
"Sometimes what they want has to be factored into all the advice that is given from medical people and managers. We will be guided a lot by Stevie, how he feels and what he wants. I'm very, very confident that he will be with us. The whole country wants him to be fit and able and that is why we will leave the assessment of his situation as late as possible. By the end of the week, we'll have a better idea."
McClaren is updating Benítez on a daily basis and would ideally like any decision to be made with his blessing. If he has to, though, he is prepared for a similar confrontation to the one that took place between Eriksson and Ferguson over Rooney. The England head coach is also aware that he has Uefa and Fifa rules on his side. Providing the player is in agreement and the management does not go against medical advice, the final call on whether Gerrard plays or not will be his, whatever the objections of BenÍtez.
"We will take Liverpool into consideration, speak to Rafa and the medical team and not do anything without their knowledge," McClaren said. "I told Rafa earlier in the week that we would keep in touch every day to say how Stevie is progressing. We won't take unnecessary risks. I will take advice from our medical team, who are just as well qualified, because we want to work together so that we all make the decision and we all know what the dangers are. We will do nothing that will put the player at real risk.
"As far as painkilling injections are concerned, you look and in some cases, if there's no great hazard, then fine. I think John Terry and Frank Lampard had broken toes in preseason and were taking injections. Stevie played with an injection against Chelsea a few weeks ago. I've known it at club level where we've done that, where it's just too painful to play without the injection, but there is no risk of further injury if you have it."
Asked if he would go directly against Benítez's wishes if necessary, McClaren replied: "If we have to, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. We'd like to do it with them, though."
Owen Hargreaves, Gerrard's intended partner in midfield, and Terry, the captain, also sat out training yesterday, but McClaren insisted this was merely a precaution.