Gareth Barry remains hopeful he will be fit to play for England in the World Cup finals next month, as he makes steady progress in his recovery from ankle ligament damage. While Fabio Capello’s provisional squad have been training at altitude in Austria this week, the Manchester City midfielder has remained at his club’s Carrington training complex undergoing a combination of oxygen treatments, blood injections and work on the soft tissue around the affected area in the hope he can prove his fitness next week; he will see a specialist on Monday. Capello will determine whether the 29-year-old will be in his 23-man party for South Africa on the basis of the specialist’s diagnosis.
“The treatment on my ankle has been going well,” said Barry, who has been England’s first-choice defensive midfielder under Capello. “I’ve been having regular sessions with the medical staff at Carrington and they are pleased with how things are going. It’s too early to assess just yet as to whether I’ll make it. I’ll just have to keep having the treatment and see how things go over the next week or so. But I’m feeling positive still and the medical staff are being brilliant.” England would welcome the influential Barry’s return from the injury sustained in City’s defeat to Tottenham Hotspur this month but privately remain prepared for his absence in South Africa. Capello included Tom Huddlestone, who has one cap, and Scott Parker in his provisional squad and could consider playing James Milner in the role. Those three could stake a claim for inclusion in the 23 in the friendlies to come, against Mexico at Wembley on Monday and Japan in Graz on 30 May.
Capello’s numbers at training yesterday were swollen by the arrival of his Chelsea contingent — Ashley Cole, John Terry, Frank Lampard and Joe Cole — and Portsmouth’s David James, with the quintet easing themselves into the session in Irdning as they adjust to life at around 650 metres above sea level. They were not included in an 11-a-side match that ended the workout, with Capello — apparently in particularly disciplinarian and workmanlike mood — concentrating on achieving a high tempo of play and barking orders from the midst of the practice game.
The manager gave another indication that he is already planning for life after the World Cup by requesting a DVD of England Under-17s’ European Championship victory over the Czech Republic, played in Liechtenstein on Tuesday night, to scrutinise in the team hotel in Irdning. He is understood to have picked out at least two players from the 3-1 win for special praise and will be similarly interested in seeing how the junior side fare in this evening’s game against Greece in Vaduz.
Copyright: Guardian News & Media 2010
