Aston Villa defender Stephen Warnock recognises that Wayne Bridge's decision to make himself unavailable for England could work in his favour. With Ashley Cole racing to recover from a broken ankle in time for the start of the World Cup in June, Warnock has emerged as the leading contender to act as deputy.

He said of the selection headache now facing England boss Fabio Capello: "That is the manager's decision at the end of the day, who he picks and who he thinks is right for the job.

"All I can do is concentrate on my form for Aston Villa and hopefully that is enough to impress the manager."

He added: "I was pushing for it anyway. I always felt that if my form was good enough and if I could push Wayne Bridge as hard as I could I would be happy with that.

"But obviously with the events that have unfolded, then possibly it opens the door and you never know what could happen."