Gareth Barry upbeat on chances

Gareth Barry remains hopeful he will be fit to play for England in the World Cup finals, as he makes steady progress in his recovery from ankle ligament damage.

Gareth Barry remains hopeful he will be fit to play for England in the World Cup finals, as he makes steady progress in his recovery from ankle ligament damage.

HT Image

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, a regular selection under successive national managers, will be in his 23-man party for South Africa on the basis of the specialist's diagnosis.