Gareth Barry Hails Aston Villa Duo Emile Heskey & James Milner

Manchester City midfielder Gareth Barry has spoken out in praise of Aston Villa's Emile Heskey and James Milner.

Heskey revealed today that he is seriously considering his Villa Park future, as he is concerned that his lack of first-team opportunities will hinder his chances of playing for England in next summer's World Cup finals.

Barry feels that the target man is a fine player whose graft for the Three Lions helps the players around him flourish.

"He's hit the ground running this season for Aston Villa, so there's no reason why he can't go out there full of confidence and go out and show people what he can do," the City man told reporters at a press conference this afternoon.

"It's not just Emile (who is thinking about first-team football). It's that time of year when you want to be playing regularly and the World Cup is in the back of everyone's mind.

"I can understand where Emile's coming from – he's got his place in the England team at the moment and he won't want anything to change that.

"Playing regularly for your club can help you cement your place in the England squad, so it's not just Emile, but I can understand his feelings.

"He's struck a great partnership with Wayne Rooney in the qualifying campaign and again his work-rate and the way he plays for the team is second to none.

"Wayne and the attacking midfielders have five playing off him so he's a big part of the team." As for Milner, Barry thinks that the versatile winger has much to offer the national side.

"James seems to have improved again this season," he added. "He's making the benches in the qualifying campaign, he's making the squads regularly, his confidence will improve him as a player.

"Playing on both sides, as he did on Saturday, swapping with Wayne Rooney, playing on the left first then going to the right – being versatile can only help when it comes to making squads like the World Cup."

England's qualifying campaign concludes at Wembley on Wednesday night against Belarus. Barry is hopeful of ending proceedings on a high.

He said: "The buzz is still in the camp because it's the last game in the qualifying campaign, in front of our own fans and we want to put in a good performance, get a victory and take confidence from that into the World Cup."

Zack Wilson, Goal.com UK

OTHER NEWS

Pick Your Juventus Team To Play Milan
Latest Transfer Rumours Of Francesc Fabregas Returning To Spain
Juventus-Milan: Key Battles In The Race For Second Place
Arsenal Want Real Madrid\'s Higuain In Exchange For Fabregas - Report
Julio Cruz Is Staying At Lazio 100 Percent - Agent
Champions League Preview: Real Madrid - Milan
We Must Improve Our Game - Real Madrid Star Kaka
Chelsea Coach Carlo Ancelotti Not Underestimating Atletico Madrid
Chelsea \'Best Team In The Premier League\' - Atletico Madrid Striker Diego Forlan
FC Porto – APOEL Preview
Laurent Blanc: Girondins de Bordeaux Have Potential To Shock Bayern Munich
Olympique Lyonnais President Hails Champions League Victory Over Liverpool
Christoph Daum & Guus Hiddink On Turkey Shortlist To Replace Fatih Terim - Report
Gareth Barry Hails Aston Villa Duo Emile Heskey & James Milner
Cristiano Ronaldo Was Not Fit To Play For Portugal – Real Madrid’s Jorge Valdano
Josip Simunic & Ivica Krizanac Axed From Croatia Squad Ahead Of Kazakhstan Clash
Giuseppe Rossi On Target As Italy Boss Marcello Lippi Experiments In Training
Giuseppe Rossi On Target As Italy Boss Marcello Lippi Experiments In Training
Fernando Torres To Remain With Spain Squad Despite Injury - Report
Chelsea Midfielder Frank Lampard Targets 100 England Caps
Alvaro Negredo Set To Start For Spain Against Bosnia - Report
Romania Coach Razvan Lucescu: I Will Not Select Adrian Mutu Anymore
Italy Captain Fabio Cannavaro Considers Spain And Brazil Favourites For World Cup
Darren Bent Vows To Impress England Boss Fabio Capello
Europa League Preview Round-Up: Groups A-F
Europa League Preview Round-Up: Groups G-L
Roma Striker Mirko Vucinic Expects Tough Europa League Test Against CSKA Sofia
Valencia’s Hedwiges Maduro Wary Of Genoa Strength Ahead Of Europa League Tie
Hertha Caretaker Coach Karsten Heine: We Have Nothing To Lose Against Sporting
Genoa Must Keep Valencia’s David Villa Quiet - Arrigo Sacchi