Barry set to retain England spot

With Frank Lampard, David Beckham and Owen Hargreaves all injured, McClaren brought Barry back from the international wilderness last month and was rewarded with two outstanding performances from the Aston Villa man as England got their Euro 2008 qualification bid back on track with wins over Israel and Russia.

"We always say that my best team will not necessarily be my best 11 players," McClaren told the Birmingham Post. "I have seen it at club level in his (Barry's) performances and I have seen him in training, when he and Steven Gerrard look very, very comfortable."

A similar six-point return from Estonia's visit, plus the crucial trip to Moscow four days later, will leave McClaren's side on the brink of cementing a place in next summer's Finals in Austria and Switzerland.

Although Lampard and Beckham remain big doubts, Hargreaves is fit again, so Barry's place alongside old mate Steven Gerrard at the heart of England's midfield is open to question.

However, even if McClaren decides to use Hargreaves' defensive talents, it will not necessarily come at the expense of Barry, who was almost totally ignored by Sven-Goran Eriksson during the Swede's five-and-a-half year reign.

McClaren added: "It is about players, of course, but more about the team and about blend and balance. That is what we're always searching for.

"I was not surprised at how well he responded. I saw bits of it when we called him into the squad last summer and when he played in the B international against Albania.

"I had no hesitation in playing them together. They regard each other as good friends and it shows.

"They play together like good friends. They are good for each other. When you look at teams, you have pairings - and they have to be good pairings."