Wayne Bridge Position Defender DOB 05/08/1980 P.O.B. Southampton, England Height 5'10" Club Chelsea

Chelsea full-back Wayne Bridge's hopes of making England's World Cup squad have been boosted after he completed a loan move to Fulham.

Bridge, a £7million signing from Southampton in July 2003, has fallen behind Asier Del Horno and William Gallas in the pecking order for the left-back spot after spending eight months out with a broken ankle last year.

The 25-year-old was conscious his inactivity at Stamford Bridge - he has played just twice this season, in the League and FA Cups - was harming his chances of making Sven-Goran Eriksson's final squad.

Therefore, he has made the temporary move to Craven Cottage until the end of the summer in order to gain some first-team action.

"I'm really happy to join Fulham for the remainder of the season," he said.

"The next few months is an incredibly important period for me to be playing regular football, as I would obviously love to be part of the manager's (Eriksson's) plans for the World Cup.

"Fulham is a nice club with a great atmosphere, but most importantly they play good football under Chris Coleman and although I did have other choices offered to me, this seemed to be the best option for me at this time."

Bridge has suffered from a sustained period on the sidelines after breaking his ankle in Chelsea's FA Cup defeat at Newcastle last February.

He made his comeback in the Carling Cup defeat to Charlton in October, played the first half of England's 3-2 friendly victory over Argentina in Geneva, and also featured in the FA Cup third round win against Huddersfield earlier this month.

Coleman beat off competition from London rivals Tottenham for Bridge, and he said "Wayne Bridge is a world-class player and even though he is only just returning from injury, we are more than delighted to have him on board for the remainder of the season.

"Obviously with the World Cup around the corner Wayne is keen to play regular football and given that some big clubs were interested in signing him this window, we are delighted that he has chosen Fulham above everyone else.

"Therefore, with the securing of Tony Warner's services and the signing of Simon Elliott, Antti Niemi and now Wayne I am more than happy with the way things are progressing this window, with the support of the chairman and the board."