Gareth Barry and his Man City team-mates are keen to bring Wayne Bridge back into the England fold.
England midfielder wants City team-mate to reconsider
Gareth Barry and his Manchester City team-mates are keen to bring Wayne Bridge back into the England fold from his self-imposed exile.
The left-back announced he did not want to be considered for selection in the wake of allegations of an affair between his former girlfriend and ex-Chelsea and Three Lions team-mate John Terry.
Bridge believed his position in the squad would be 'potentially divisive' with Terry, who has already been stripped of the England captaincy, still a key member of Fabio Capello's plans.
But his Eastlands team-mates are hoping he will reconsider and make himself available for the World Cup in South Africa this summer.
Time
City and England midfielder Barry said: "I'd like to see him go.
"Time can change people's opinions sometimes and hopefully that will happen with Wayne. He doesn't want to sit down in a few years' time and regret anything.
"World Cups don't come around too often and it might be a last time to do something, but I'll respect his decision. He's been to a World Cup before.
"We'll have another go. I think there have already been conversations between the lads and Wayne and there could be a time when we see what he's thinking and may put our opinion across."
Awkward
Barry admitted it even felt strange for him to return to the England set-up after the alleged affair - which led to Terry being stripped of the national team captaincy - had become public knowledge.
"It was a bit awkward for me but you have to put that aside because you're a professional," he added.
"You're going there to do a job and work with each other and you can't think about it too much. As professionals we got on with the job."
Bridge is set to be sidelined for a month in any case following a hernia operation, but his return to the England squad would be a boost for Capello.
First-choice left-back Ashley Cole is fighting to overcome an ankle injury and other contenders like Stephen Warnock and Leighton Baines lack international experience.
