The Manchester City midfielder criticised several England players, including Gerrard, in his book after the World Cup last summer.
He said: “If you look at our last few performances, I think a shake-up is just what we need. Steve McClaren has said that himself.
“He wants to shake this team up and get us playing a lot better.
“Having new additions like Joey Barton in the squad will definitely help. It freshens things up and keeps everyone on their toes.”
He added: “Myself, Frank and Joey will be having a lot of chats over the next couple of days and I’m sure we can put it to bed.
“I’ll speak to Joey face to face and I’m sure we can sort it all out.
“I know Joey really well, because we’re from the same area of Huyton, and I just smiled to myself when I saw his name in the squad.
“He’s quite similar to myself when he does interviews. He likes to be really honest and say what he feels.
“But every footballer says things they regret at some stage of their career and I’m sure he’ll learn from this experience.”
