London: Fabio Capello has asked Roberto Mancini to try to persuade Wayne Bridge to go to this summer's World Cup in South Africa.
Bridge is standing by his decision to withdraw his availability in the wake of the relationship John Terry had with Bridge's former fiancee, Vanessa Perroncel.
But Capello is still hoping Bridge can be talked into changing his mind and travel as cover for Ashley Cole, whose fitness and form are a concern given that he is just returning from a broken ankle.
Scandal
Contact between the England manager and his staff with Bridge has been minimal since the scandal that cost Terry the England captaincy erupted. But they have asked those around the player to keep urging him to reconsider.
City manager Mancini has been enlisted to help the England cause, as have senior City officials like Garry Cook and Brian Marwood, as well as England team-mates Gareth Barry and Shaun Wright-Phillips.
But sources close to Bridge say his stance on Terry has not softened. Far from it. Capello does not name his provisional 30-man squad for three weeks, and he will wait until the last minute before crossing Bridge off his list for the flight to Johannesburg.