LONDON (Reuters) -- Chelsea defender Wayne Bridge has joined fellow Premier League club Fulham on loan in a bid to retain his England squad place for the World Cup.

Fulham said on their Web site on Thursday that Bridge, who returned from a long injury layoff in October, had joined them until the end of the season.

"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," Fulham manager Chris Coleman told the website.

Bridge lost his place at Chelsea to Spain left back Asier del Horno this season after a broken leg sidelined him for eight months from February. "I'm really happy to join Fulham for the remainder of the season because I think that 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 [England] manager's plans for the World Cup competition," Bridge said.

Bridge won his 21st cap in England's last match, a 3-2 win over Argentina in a friendly in Geneva in November, a year almost to the day after his previous international appearance.

The World Cup in Germany starts on June 9 with England in Group B where they meet Paraguay, Trinidad & Tobago and Sweden.

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