Fabio Capello is prepared to wait until the last possible moment before deciding whether to include Gareth Barry in his final squad for the World Cup after a scan on his ankle injury yesterday proved inconclusive.
Capello had expected the examination to yield a definitive verdict, but the specialist indicated that it was too early to say whether the Manchester City midfield player’s injury would heal in time for him to play a significant role in the finals.
Barry, who has started 19 of Capello’s 23 games in charge, will be given as
long as possible to prove his fitness before the England manager names his final 23-man squad next Tuesday. The 29-year-old has undergone oxygen treatment, injections and soft-tissue massage in the hope of accelerating his recovery since he suffered the injury to his right ankle in City’s penultimate game of the Barclays Premier League season, at home to Tottenham Hotspur on May 5, but so far his only running has been on a water treadmill.
Barry will not join the rest of the England squad when they fly back to Irdning, Austria, today for the second part of their training camp. He will be assessed again in London at the weekend, with Capello looking for reassurances that, even if the player is not fit in time to feature in the opening game against the United States on June 12, he can play some part in the remaining group matches.
Franco Baldini, the England general manager, was in Hartford, Connecticut, to watch the United States in their warm-up match last night against the Czech Republic. A member of Capello’s staff will watch Algeria, another of England’s group opponents, when they play Ireland in Dublin on Saturday.
Capello has still to determine David Beckham’s role in South Africa. Beckham,
the former captain, was invited to stay with the squad after being ruled out of the tournament with an Achilles tendon injury in March, but he will not link up with the team until they depart for the tournament on June 2.
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