Good news for England

Gareth Barry is winning his battle to be fit for the World Cup. The Aston Villa midfielder, who has been a regular starter for England under Fabio Capello, has been battling an ankle injury since early May. But after round-the-clock treatment, the 29-year-old looks likely to give Capello a major boost ahead of the announcement of his squad for the World Cup. Speaking on Thursday, Capello said: "He's fine. We analysed Barry's ankle two days ago. The recovery time is shorter than we thought. We are going to decide next week but we are very confident." In further good news for the England camp, talismanic striker Wayne Rooney appears to have firmly overcome his ankle and groin troubles. "Rooney is also fine. He's not been scoring recently but I'm pleased with what he's doing in training because he's back at 100 per cent,” added Capello.