Bridge not for sale - Strachan

Gordon Strachan has issued a hands-off warning to any clubs interested in defender Wayne Bridge.

Strachan said: ‘‘He is having a break after the World Cup and will rejoin us in time for the tour to Sweden and we are not selling him. Wayne Bridge will be here for as long as he wants to be.

‘‘It is like the Dean Richards sale, it will only happen if the player wants to go - and he does not want to go. He is happy with us. He wants to be here and play here and it is unfair to invent these things.

‘‘It is a problem for him and it upsets him. He phoned me three hours after England had gone out of the World Cup to find out when he was wanted back.

‘‘I spoke to him about the training and how he was feeling and the idea of him going did not even get a mention.’’

Strachan added on the club’s official website, saintsfc.co.uk: ‘‘There is always going to be speculation if our players are playing well. That’s what happens. The way to end it would be to keep them mediocre!

‘‘If they do well on international duty then they will attract attention but we can handle that. We don’t have to sell and we are still looking to bring in one or two more players.’’