SOUTHAMPTON manager Gordon Strachan has pledged to give his marathon man Wayne Bridge a breather, writes Dave King.

The £8 million-rated 21-year-old, who has almost certainly booked his place on the plane to the Far East with impressive performances against Holland and Italy, is expected to line up in Sven-Goran Eriksson's side taking on Paraguay at Anfield next Wednesday.

But there are fears the left-back could suffer a burn-out after an astonishing series of appearances - in which he has played every minute of the Saints' last 85 league games.

And aside from the demands of being the team's ever-present performer, Bridge has forged a reputation as a tireless worker on the training ground while being bombarded by the media as his status has grown.

Strachan today moved to ease concerns over his star player's fitness and pledged to protect him as he continues his mammoth run, which started against Middlesbrough on March 4, 2000.

The former Scotland international will now give Winchester-born Bridge plenty of time off before the World Cup - but he insists he is not doing it to help out the Auld Enemy.

"It's for the lad - not for England," he said.

"We're going to look after Wayne on and off the field between now and the end of the season, don't worry about that.

"It's an exciting period in his career so we're going to make sure everything's right for him. We've got to give his body and his brain a rest.

"I don't know if he'll get the kind of rest where he doesn't play first-team games, but we're going to really relax him between the matches.

"We're going to curtail his media work and curtail his work on the training ground, to make sure that he's fit if picked."