The Welsh youngster who has caught the eye of the Liverpool manager, Rafael Benitez, received lavish praise from the Wales Under-21 manager, Brian Flynn, after the impressive 3-0 win over Azerbaijan in Newport on Tuesday. But Cole said: "Not at the moment because I need to get club games - that's my first aim."I'm not aiming for the World Cup because I'm a bit off schedule, I've not even started a game in the Premiership.". But Eriksson wants Bridge back for the World Cup and said: "We don't have another natural left-back in the squad."There is Kieran Richardson but if the World Cup was tomorrow I wouldn't play him there. Left midfield maybe, but not full-back."Reclaiming his place as a first-team regular at Chelsea will be Bridge's immediate priority but given the wealth of talent at Stamford Bridge it is a tough situation with William Gallas and the £8m signing Asier Del Horno also vying for the role.Nevertheless, Bridge's England selection is unlikely to depend on regular football at Chelsea.His Chelsea club-mate Joe Cole remains Eriksson's first choice on the England left wing despite the fact he has not completed a full game for the Blues this season - although that may change now Damien Duff is set to be out for a month after undergoing knee surgery.Shaun Wright-Phillips is having trouble dislodging Arjen Robben at Stamford Bridge but he is in the England squad as regular understudy to the captain David Beckham on the right and was set to start against Poland.The Chelsea striker Carlton Cole also has his eye on first-team football after scoring for the England Under-21s in Tuesday night's 4-1 win over Poland at Hillsborough.The Under-21 manager Peter Taylor believes Cole has the potential to force his way into Eriksson's World Cup squad. Liverpool's Stephen Warnock was in the squad and Kieran Richardson has been filling the role for Manchester United this season.West Ham's Paul Konchesky and West Bromwich Albion's Paul Robinson have both been tipped for a call-up by their respective club managers. The Chelsea left-back is still working towards full fitness after suffering a double ankle fracture against Newcastle in February and is yet to feature for the Premiership champions this season. Bridge has played for the reserves but with England short of proven cover at left-back Eriksson is anxious he returns to peak form as soon as possible. "He is still an important part of this England squad," the manager said.

"I hope very much that Wayne gets back to where he was before he was injured and if he is fit he should be in the squad."With Ashley Cole out injured Eriksson was set to start with the right-footed Jamie Carragher in last night's final World Cup qualifier against Poland. Obviously, the gaffer [Sam Allardyce] knew of me from reserve matches, but going on loan to Sheffield Wednesday was great for me. When that chance did finally come, I was absolutely delighted.". Wayne Bridge has been assured by the England manager, Sven Goran Eriksson, that he remains a firm part of England's World Cup plans.

He is now one of the first names on the team sheet."A year ago I was just playing reserve-team football in front of 25 people," said O'Brien "I can't believe what has happened to me so far this season. A year ago O'Brien was still looking to establish himself in the Bolton reserves, with one fleeting Carling Cup appearance to his credit at first-team level.The heady world of the Premiership, European and international football was at that stage still nothing more than a dream.Then the 19-year-old Dubliner made what he now considers a crucial loan move to Sheffield Wednesday in December, with O'Brien spending just less than three months with a Wednesday side who went on to earn promotion to the Championship.O'Brien made his Premiership debut for Bolton in the final game of last term, featuring for the last eight minutes of a 3-2 win over Everton at the Reebok Stadium after replacing El-Hadji Diouf.That served as a prelude to what has been a stunning start to this season as O'Brien has established himself as a regular squad member, making his first start in the second leg of Bolton's Uefa Cup first-round tie with Lokomotiv Plovdiv in Bulgaria.O'Brien has also gained seven Republic of Ireland Under-21 caps, all in the space of the last eight months. You are in for two days and then you play, but then the squad remains together and they continue to knit."You could see it in training, there was more of a bond. You could see the camaraderie develop in the hotel, and they are now more of a group."Givens would have loved to have at least gained the point his team's display deserved, but Joey O'Brien, John Fitzgerald, Stephen Ward, Jay Tabb, Aiden McGeady and Willo Flood all spurned chances."It's a pity, with that performance, we didn't finish with something because it merited it, but we didn't get it so now we move on, with the Madeira Tournament in February."One of Givens's promising charges, the Bolton midfielder O'Brien, has particular grounds for satisfaction. "Although you are never happy to lose, I'm as happy as I can be with a defeat because there's something to build on now for the future."When you have two games back to back, the squad knits together. But signs of recovery were in evidence on Tuesday night, despite the Republic falling to a 13th-minute goal from David Degen that extended their winless run to nine matches.The team played more as a unit, creating the better chances, and there was a greater degree of communication between players."We need that because it's something young players don't do enough of, but it's a learning curve for them," said Givens.