Phil Neville sees Champions League as a way into England squad again

Feb 6 2008 by Chris Beesley, Liverpool Daily Post

EVERTON captain Phil Neville wants to lead Everton to Champions League qualification and reckons it’s the best way for him to win his place back in the England squad.

Despite being a regular squad member for more than a decade under previous coaches Terry Venables, Glenn Hoddle, Kevin Keegan, Sven-Goran Eriksson and Steve McClaren, Neville, who has won 59 England caps, was omitted from new coach Fabio Capello’s first selection for tonight’s friendly against Switzerland.

But the 31-year-old insists he has no intentions of hanging up his boots at international level yet and is determined to force his way back into the Italian’s plans – and he reckons the best way of achieving this is by cementing Everton’s position in the top four of the Premier League.

Neville said: “I desperately want to play for England again.

“But me for playing for England could help Everton in the long term and my loyalties lie with Everton.

“I am little bit disappointed but when you get to my age, you have just got to concentrate on playing well for Everton and if the manager watches Everton and sees us playing well – in fourth position – that will only help my international career.”

Although he has been representing his country since 1996, Neville has yet to represent England in the World Cup finals having been left out of the squads for France in 1998, Japan & Korea in 2002 and Germany in 2006.

The hat-tricks of disappoinments make Neville more determined to rectify this anomaly by participating in South Africa in 2010 for what is likely to be his last chance to go to a World Cup finals.

He said: “To be honest deep down I did not think I was going to be in this squad this time.

“The new manager is going to want to look at new players and I’ve had a long international career.

“ I am not saying it is over because I still have massive ambitions to play and go to a World Cup – which is something I have never achieved.”

Meanwhile, Neville’s team-mate in Everton’s defence, Joleon Lescott hopes he can impress Capello and has revealed his club captain was the first to congratulate him on his place in the squad along with striker Andrew Johnson who was also disappointed to miss out.

Lescott said: “When the squad was announced, although Phil Neville and AJ were not involved, they were the first two to really congratulate me.

“I think I will be a bit more nervous this time with the new manager and new management team. It starts again and I have got to prove myself again.

“I was a bit more at ease under McClaren because he picked me a couple of times but I will be looking to impress under Fabio.”

The former Wolves defender, who has made rapid progress since his transfer from Molineux in the summer of 2006, was capped four times by former England coach McClaren and believes he is still improving.

He said: “I was grateful to see my name amongst the boys.

“It is always nice to be in contention in the England set-up – I was grateful for that recognition. I feel I have been consistent and I was more than pleased to be in there. “There is more to come but I am happy with the way things are going at the minute, apart from the disappointment with the Chelsea situation – an own goal and getting knocked out.

“I am more than pleased but feel there is a lot more to come from me.”