England midfielder Gareth Barry has been ruled out of his country's World Cup finals opening Group C match on Saturday against the United States.

The 29-year-old Manchester City star has been given more time by England coach Fabio Capello to recover from the ankle ligament injury he suffered on May 5.

"They (the England coaching staff) told me that I would not play against the United States in order to give me more time to recover," the former Aston Villa captain told www.newsoftheworld.com.

"I will resume full training with the squad tomorrow (Tuesday)."

Barry, capped 36 times, was the only outfield player not used by Capello in Monday's final warm-up match against South African club side Platinum Stars.

His holding midfielder role was allocated to England and Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, which should be the case also against the Americans.

England's second group game is against Algeria on June 18.

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP