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Everton FC starlet Ross Barkley missed the bus as England enjoyed their first World Cup training session in Brazil.

Now the Blues starlet will be hoping he isn’t left behind when manager Roy Hodgson names his starting XI for Saturday’s opener against Italy in Manaus.

The squad’s departure had been delayed as the team bus managed to leave without Barkley.

The driver was forced to stop nearby while the Everton midfielder chased after the coach to board – much to the obvious amusement of his team-mates.

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Barkley should be well used to catching buses, having spent much of childhood travelling to Everton’s training ground on public transport.

“Mum used to have my sister to look after, so I had to make my own way to training,” said Barkley, in an interview last year. “I would get a bus to town and another one to Netherton. It would take about an hour. I used to get the 79, then the 58 or 51A.

“It’s still fresh in my mind. You had other players my age who were getting loads of money. One player used to turn up and his mum and dad had a Bentley.

“I’d be waiting at the bus stop and they would ask me if I wanted a lift home but I’d always say no because I was too embarrassed.”

When the party did belatedly arrive at their training base, a local schoolboy serenaded the players with “We are the champions.”

The players stood awkwardly, in front of hundreds of the world's media, as a group of children played and sang the Queen anthem.

They clapped politely as the youngster finished the song with the line “We are the champions of the world!”

There was muffled laughter among some of the fans who had been allowed in to watch the open training session. But again there was extraordinary security for the squad throughout the day.

As they trained a navy gunboat patrolled the waters off the military base.

Roy Hodgson and his team made the 45 minute journey from their hotel accompanied by several army trucks, a helicopter overhead and even two ambulances.

They then made their way to the Urca training base, at the foot of the Sugar Loaf mountain where they were met by several dozen England fans who were already in Rio.

Players waved to the supporters as they entered the base before taking part the two hour training session.

One fan John Rodgers, 37, from Southampton said: “I was amazed at how much security there was ... it could have been Barack Obama coming in not a football team.

“There were so many soldiers in the cavalcade and two or three ambulances as well.”

Police and FIFA are jittery because of continuing protests. In Sao Paulo yesterday they used tear gas to break up striking transport workers.

But once inside the base the mood noticably lightened. Dozens of excited local schoolchildren and the sons and daughters of local military personnel watched part of the training.

The team trained for an hour in the sunshine at the historic base. Behind one of the goals were two gleaming white lion statues.And to the side three old English cannons recovered from a shipwreck close to the shore.

But 300 miles away in Sao Paulo there were nasty scenes as police tried to break-up a continuing strike.Politicians have threatened to sack the transport staff if they do not return to work.

But unions have said they will escalate their action and have promised to cause chaos at the opening ceremony just 48 hours away.

The main stadium for the match between Brazil and Croatia is on the outskirts of the city and any further closure of the metro system will cause chaos for supporters and dignitaries attending the match.