Everton v Liverpool: Gareth Barry preparing to show Kopites what they missed in 221st Merseyside derby That's fans I suppose. The fans heard he was leaving, I was coming in and put two and two together. I remember watching a pre-season friendly and they made it obvious they weren't keen on me coming to replace him. He was a fantastic player and I can understand it. That's just down to Alonso being a fantastic player. He made comments about me which maybe didn't help in terms of the Liverpool fans. But there was nothing I could have done about it. With the conversations I had with Benítez, he said Alonso wouldn't be leaving. He was talking of me coming in and maybe not always playing in central midfield, but maybe playing slightly left and even left-back. That was when in my mind I was thinking maybe not to join Liverpool anyway. They didn't have the funds when it came down to it. Villa wanted £18 million and Liverpool bid something like £16 million and they signed Robbie Keane instead. When Liverpool revived their interest a year later - this time Barry would have been a direct replacement for Alonso - he declined the offer. "After the debacle of the one before, I chose City over Liverpool when they came back in again," he said. That was a big gamble at the time. City weren't in the Champions League and Liverpool were, but the things being told to me were the things that happened, like signing some of the best players in the world, and I wanted to be part of it. Things do happen for a reason, and I ended up with a Premier League and FA Cup, which was massive. It's just the way things happen. Barry has been outstanding so far for Roberto Martínez, but despite the limitations of the England squad, he believes his international career is over. "Right now I don't think it's going to happen," said Barry. Sometimes you're just not in the manager's thoughts. He seems to be going with the younger players so I'd say it's not going to happen. It's a massive long shot now. I'll have to score 30 goals from now I think. The first priority for Barry is to maintain his form and secure a permanent move at the end of his season's loan. He is out of contract this summer. "I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about what happens after the end of this season because it is something you have to worry about," he said. Meanwhile, Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge faces a late fitness test on a leg injury.