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Stoke City winger Matthew Etherington refuses to rule out England World Cup call-up
Midfielder hoping to impress Fabio...
12 Mar 2010 16:31:00
By Niall McGlone
Stoke City winger Matthew Etherington is still hoping to make a late bid for a World Cup 2010 place with England this summer.
It was thought that Fabio Capello was keen on the 28-year-old and the England manager was present at Stoke’s FA Cup fifth-round tie at Manchester City in February.
Unfortunatley for the former West Ham United player he was stretchered off only 14 minutes into the game with medial knee ligament damage, ultimately costing him any chance of a call up for England’s friendly against Egypt last week.
However, Etherington doesn’t want to dwell on what could have been.
“I don’t know if I would have got the chance had I not been injured,” he said to The Sentinel.
“It goes through my head, especially with [team-mate] Ryan [Shawcross] being called up.
“It was the worst possible time to get injured. I knew the England manager was at the game and in the first 10 minutes I felt sharp and thought I was going to put in a good performance.
“But I can’t do anything about it and I can’t let it get to me.
“If I can make him notice me again and come to another game, then who knows? But I am not getting my hopes up.”
The winger was pleased for team mate Ryan Shawcross when he learned of the defender's call-up to the England squad and he feel it proves that Capello is willing to give anyone a chance.
“By calling up Ryan, the manager showed English players in the Premier League that if you are performing well every week, you have a chance,” he added.
Etherington made three appearances for England at Under-21 level but has so far failed to earn a senior call-up for his country.
Stoke face Aston Villa at home on Saturday as they continue to push for an impressive top-ten finish in the Premier League.
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It was thought that Fabio Capello was keen on the 28-year-old and the England manager was present at Stoke’s FA Cup fifth-round tie at Manchester City in February.
Unfortunatley for the former West Ham United player he was stretchered off only 14 minutes into the game with medial knee ligament damage, ultimately costing him any chance of a call up for England’s friendly against Egypt last week.
However, Etherington doesn’t want to dwell on what could have been.
“I don’t know if I would have got the chance had I not been injured,” he said to The Sentinel.
“It goes through my head, especially with [team-mate] Ryan [Shawcross] being called up.
“It was the worst possible time to get injured. I knew the England manager was at the game and in the first 10 minutes I felt sharp and thought I was going to put in a good performance.
“But I can’t do anything about it and I can’t let it get to me.
“If I can make him notice me again and come to another game, then who knows? But I am not getting my hopes up.”
The winger was pleased for team mate Ryan Shawcross when he learned of the defender's call-up to the England squad and he feel it proves that Capello is willing to give anyone a chance.
“By calling up Ryan, the manager showed English players in the Premier League that if you are performing well every week, you have a chance,” he added.
Etherington made three appearances for England at Under-21 level but has so far failed to earn a senior call-up for his country.
Stoke face Aston Villa at home on Saturday as they continue to push for an impressive top-ten finish in the Premier League.
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| Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
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