Wayne Bridge will be selected by Fabio Capello for the England squad for the friendly with Egypt on March 3 if he is fit.
Bridge's last appearance for Manchester City came on December 5 and his international selection depends purely on his fitness, rather than concerns over the scandal that has erupted around England captain John Terry in recent days.
Bridge has not notified the England management or the FA that he has de-listed himself for selection, despite intense speculation that he would refuse to "be in the same room" as the current captain following allegations about Terry's private life over the weekend.
Capello has dealt with high profile players in clubs like Real Madrid and had to manage delicate situations. The Italian has always made a very strict distinction about players' private lives and their professional lives, but in the case of Terry, the problem is that it overlaps into the England squad, which makes his decision a tough one.
But there is no decision for Capello to make over Bridge.Capello will judge Bridge purely on his ability to be fit for selection. It will be for the left back to decide whether he still wishes to be a possible member of Capello's 23-man squad to travel to the World Cup finals in South Africa.
Clearly Capello also intends to select Terry for the World Cup finals, whether or not he remains as captain, and for the time being no decision has been made to strip the Chelsea captain of the England honour.
A source revealed: "The only problem concerning the England manager about Wayne Bridge is his fitness, his ability to recover in time to be considered for selection for the England squad for the friendly with Egypt.
"Wayne Bridge is clearly one of the options available to Fabio to name in his 23-man squad for the finals. The England manager is considering him as a player, not as an ex-friend of any other players."
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