Football story by Fred Smith, Tue, 06 Feb 2007 12:36:00 GMT


LONDON - Ahead of a friendly clash with Spain stand-in skipper Steven Gerrard has denied rumors of any rift with Manchester City boy Joey Barton. The Manchester City midfielder had got into a soup by questioning the work ethic of several England stars.

Specifically he had pointed out at Gerrard and Frank Lampard saying the two had no stringent work ethic. While Lampard had retorted to Barton's rants, Gerrard had not said anything about the episode. He also said that England's flop World Cup stars cashed in on the event by bringing out autobiographies.

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However ahead of the clash, Gerrard denied that he was miffed at Barton. "I wouldn't say we were best friends but I know Joey quite well because we are from the same area," said Gerrard. "He is quite like myself in that he likes to be really honest and say how he feels."

Gerrard said that there were no hard feelings fro Barton and that he looked forward to playing with him in the midfield. "I am going to give him a knock later and give him a signed book to read over the next couple of days. The main thing is I am looking forward to working with him because he is my type of player," he declared.

Barton has been in the public eye for all the wrong reasons. During a Christmas party, he is alleged to have stubbed out a cigar in a teammate's eye and later on had a bar-room brawl with an Everton fan in Thailand.

However he has since been very quiet and Gerrard feels he has matured as a player. "I enjoy watching him. He is committed and works really hard. When you go into a battle, you want him on your side," he added.