Carragher explains England dilemma
Carragher feels he has not been seen enough in an England shirt
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Monday, 09, Jul 2007 10:10
Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has admitted that he is close to quitting international football after being regularly overlooked by England coach Steve McClaren.
The 29-year-old centre-back is one of the first names on Rafael Benitez's teamsheet but has admitted that he is growing unhappy with his bit-part role in the England set-up.
"I first thought about it after the World Cup because I wondered how many chances I'd get for England at centre-half," he told the Liverpool Echo.
"Then when Sol Campbell was out of the picture I thought I could put pressure on Rio Ferdinand for the other centre-half position alongside John Terry.
"Given my form for Liverpool, I genuinely thought that was possible, but over the last 12 months players like Jonathan Woodgate and Ledley King have played there ahead of me.
"It's just that from a purely personal point of view, it's been disappointing because after some of my performances for Liverpool I thought I deserved a chance."
Carragher has amassed 34 caps and traveled to several major tournaments since making his debut under Kevin Keegan in 1999, but has failed to win over either Sven-Goran Eriksson or his successor.
He was keen to ensure that his doubts are not interpreted as evidence of a deteriorating relationship with McClaren however.
"I want to stress this has nothing do with Steve McClaren. I have a great time working with him and a lot of the England coaches. I'm just thinking about this from a purely personal point of view," he said.
Carragher may have another new club colleague to get to know when he returns to Melwood for pre-season training.
Liverpool are rumoured to be closing in on a £10 million deal for Ajax winger Ryan Babel as Benitez seeks to strengthen his attacking options.