Barry set to miss World Cup with ankle injury

(GSM) – Gareth Barry’s World Cup hopes looked to be all but over after the England midfielder went off with an ankle injury in Manchester City’s midweek defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.

The Manchester City man suffered the injury in his side’s 1-0 defeat to Tottenham on Wednesday and limped off after 57 minutes.

It is a major setback to his plans to compete in this summer’s World Cup, as the South Africa tournament is due to kick-off in five weeks time.

Barry has been a key player for England under Fabio Capello and his absence would be a major blow for the Three Lions.

The initial diagnosis of the knock was that the 29-year-old had only suffered a sprained ankle but tests on Friday revealed the injury was worse than first feared.

Capello has regularly insisted that he will only consider fully-fit players in his 23-man squad for the competition, which he will name on 1st June.

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini said: “I feel very sorry for him.

“Gareth is a fantastic guy and a fantastic player.

“I hope he can play in the World Cup but Fabio Capello and his medical staff must decide,” Mancini concluded.

If Barry were to miss the finals it would also free up an extra midfield place, giving an opportunity for the likes of Joe Cole, Tom Huddlestone, Scott Parker or even Owen Hargreaves to potentially stake a claim for a place in Capello’s squad.

The City midfielder has never played in a World Cup after missing out on selection under former coach Sven Goran Eriksson in both 2002 and 2006.