Spurs midfielder admits concerns over his England future

By Ben Pearce

Published: 11:20 AM June 16, 2011 Updated: 1:30 PM October 14, 2020

Tom Huddlestone admits that he fears for his international future after slipping down Fabio Capello’s pecking order in the last year.

The 24-year-old won his first England cap against Brazil in November 2009 and was selected for the provisional 30-man World Cup squad last summer, before missing the final cut.

One year on, Huddlestone concedes that his international prospects have dimmed rather than brightened, particularly when a recurring ankle injury restricted him to just 21 appearances for Tottenham last season.

“England is an ambition obviously,” he said. “I want to get in the squad as regularly as possible, but Jack Wilshere seems to have cemented his place, as does Scotty Parker – then you’ve still got Michael Carrick, Gareth Barry, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard.

“That’s six fantastic players so it’s going to be difficult but I’ll never give up trying to get in the squad.

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“I’ve only been in three or four England squads, and it’s something I want to do more regularly, but that’s not my main focus at the minute – it’s just trying to get Tottenham back into the Champions League next season.

“The lads who have played while I’ve been injured have played very well, so it’s going to be hard enough to get back into the Tottenham team, let alone the England squad.”