Gareth Barry is in line to play for Aston Villa in their friendly match away to Reading today as he aims to cast aside the disappointment of the collapse of his proposed £18 million move to Liverpool. The England mid-field player has held talks with Martin O’Neill, the Villa manager, and is likely to demonstrate his professionalism by filling in at left back today because Wilfred Bouma, the Holland defender, has been sidelined for five months with the dislocated ankle that he suffered in the Intertoto Cup victory over OB Odense last Saturday.

Brad Friedel, who joined the club a week ago from Blackburn Rovers for £2 million, is set to make his first appearance for Villa and it was confirmed yesterday that he will be contesting the No 1 jersey with Brad Guzan, his fellow American, after Villa were granted a work permit for the 23-year-old, who has signed from Chivas USA for £2 million. Villa had their application for a permit rejected in January, but Guzan has since played in a higher proportion of international matches.

“I’m really pleased we got it through at this second time of asking,” O’Neill said. “Brad has the potential to become an excellent goalkeeper and I’m really looking forward to seeing him at Aston Villa. I wanted him in here in January but we’re delighted we’ve got this work permit now so that he can prove what an excellent goalkeeper he is and will be.”

Guzan will miss the start of the Bar-

clays Premier League season because he will be away on Olympic Games duty. At present he is in Hong Kong playing in the ING Cup as preparation for the Games in Beijing, but he is relishing his move to England. “I am going to go in there and work as hard as I can, learn as much as I can and try and become a better player and help the team in any way I can,” he said. “Whether that is as a No 2 or competing for No 1, I am going to be pushing to make myself better or pushing the person who is playing to play better.

“Clubs with a good atmosphere have positive effects as they have competitive players who are pushing each other to make the team better.”

As Steve Sidwell, Villa’s £5 million signing from Chelsea, returns today to the club where he made his name before a single season at Stamford Bridge, Barry must continue building bridges with fans and teammates alike, although Graham Taylor, the former Villa and England manager, doubts whether the player will be able fully to heal his rapport with O’Neill.

“I would imagine it is going to be very difficult for that relationship to be mended,” Taylor said. “Gareth Barry is professional enough and if he does stay at Villa then I will say to supporters: ‘Don’t concern yourself about a lack of effort.’ The only concern that everybody has is will this breakdown of relationship affect his form? If it does, it won’t be that he is deliberately playing poorly, it will be because he feels it that much.”