• World Cup

No guarantees for Carragher - Capello

England coach Fabio Capello refused to guarantee Jamie Carragher a place in his final World Cup squad despite the Liverpool defender coming out of international retirement to be part of a 30-man provisional party.

However, after working hard to persuade Carragher to return, following his decision to quit England in 2007, Capello is very likely to select the Liverpool veteran in his final 23-man squad when it is announced after the friendly with Japan in Graz, Austria, on May 30.

But the England boss would not give Carragher any guarantees that he would be on the plane to South Africa.

Capello said: "He is one of the 30 players. During the training camp I will evaluate the performance of each player, after that I will decide."

Detailing how Carragher's return to the international fold came about, Capello added: "We started two months ago, we spoke with him, Franco Baldini met him two weeks ago. I selected him because he is a really, really good player."

Carragher said his decision to come out of international retirement was made easier because of Liverpool's failure to qualify for the Champions League.

"The FA got in touch a few weeks ago and asked if I would have a rethink, due to injury problems. I said I would make myself available," said Carragher. "The World Cup and Champions League are the highest levels of football. I'm not getting any younger, we have no Champions League football next season and I am keen to work under Fabio Capello."

Meanwhile, Capello revealed he had also asked Manchester United veteran Paul Scholes to consider a comeback but unlike Carragher, the midfielder turned down the request.

"Yes (I spoke to him) but it was up to him," Capello confirmed. "He said no, he preferred to stay with the family. But I tried, yes."

As for Ledley King's inclusion, Capello has no concerns about the defender's long-standing knee injuries.

"We were monitoring him for a long time," said the Italian. "He is one of the best defenders in England. In the last 15 days he has played four games, I spoke with him about the knee problems and he said this season the knee was really good.

"The reason I selected him is that he's good, a really good defender."

Manchester City midfielder Gareth Barry was included in the squad despite being sidelined with an ankle injury and Capello has admitted he has no idea if he will be fit in time.

On Monday, Capello claimed Barry stood little chance of being fit, giving rise to speculation that Owen Hargreaves was about to earn a shock call-up to the 30-man provisional squad.

However, after further discussions with England doctor Ian Beasley and trusted assistant Baldini, Capello has opted to select Barry, then wait until his next check-up on May 24 before deciding whether the midfielder can play any meaningful role in the tournament.

"The next check for Barry's ankle will be the May 24," Capello said. "We will wait for that before making the next decision. We don't know what chance Gareth Barry has of being fit but we have time to decide.

"Our doctor spoke with the Manchester City doctor. That was one of the important things. If it is more or less OK on May 24 we have three weeks before the first game. Hopefully then he will be ready to start a game."

FIFA's rules on injured players mean that although Barry cannot be replaced in Capello's 30-man squad, if he kept his place for the final 23, which must be handed in on June 1, he could still withdraw through an injury and then be replaced.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.