Gareth Barry has insisted that the England team must be united whether or not Wayne Bridge is available.
City midfielder feels Bridge should be allowed to decide
Gareth Barry has insisted that the England team must be united whether or not Wayne Bridge makes himself available for selection.
The midfielder, along with fellow Manchester City player Shaun Wright-Phillips, both appeared in England's 3-1 victory over Egypt at Wembley on Wednesday, with the former Villa player admitting he would like to see Bridge come back into the fold.
City full-back Bridge ruled himself out of selection for any of Fabio Capello's upcoming England squads, including that of the World Cup, following the recent public fall-out involving him and former captain John Terry.
But Capello's decision to leave the door open for a potential place on the plane to South Africa may just persuade Bridge to reconsider, a decision Barry feels the player should make in his own time.
"I think at this moment in time, we are all respecting Wayne's decision," he said.
"But the manager has left the chance for Wayne to come back so he has still maybe got a decision to make.
"He can do that on his own rather than anyone else pushing him.
"Will seeing myself and Shaun doing well for England only help? Definitely. I am not sure if he watched the game but Wayne knows all about playing for England."
Togetherness
Barry was quick to point out that England had to all be pulling in the same direction and show unity if they were to have any real chance of winning the World Cup.
"A lot has been written and said about the England squad but, when together, we realise we need to be together if we are going to progress and achieve anything as a team," Barry added.
"I obviously respected Wayne's decision and, when we met up, we are a team and you have to be professional about it.
"We showed (against Egypt) it is all forgotten. Even if Wayne changed his mind, we'd all be together, even more so.
"Like I said, it's good the manager has left it open but let's respect Wayne's decision.
"This was the last game before the meet-up for the World Cup so we don't need any distractions."
When asked about Wright-Phillip's chances of heading to the World Cup after an impressive substitute appearance, Barry was positive the right-sided midfielder had taken a big step towards making Capello's final selection.
"I think Shaun realises that on the right side, there is so much talent out there and you've really got to take your chance when it is there," he said.
"Shaun had a point to prove and I think he came through with flying colours."
