Everton midfielder Mikel Arteta has confirmed he would give serious thought to playing for England, should he ever be offered the opportunity to do so.
The Spaniard has never managed to break into his country's national team and with a plethora of midfield talent at La Roja's disposal - including the likes of Andreas Iniesta, Xabi Alonso, Xavi andCesc Fabregas - it seems Arteta's chances of a call-up in the near future are remote.
But Arteta, 28, qualifies to play for England having gained British citizenship during his five years at Everton, and there have been increasing calls for him to be considered by England boss Fabio Capello.
And the midfielder admits that he would consider representing the Three Lions should the chance arise, though he has had no offer from Capello as yet.
"If one day the opportunity comes obviously I would have to consider it very seriously," Arteta told BBC Sport.
"I don't know what his [Capello's] thoughts are. I know some people have been talking about it, but I haven't said anything yet because the offer is not there at the moment.''
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, who has skippered England recently in the absence of Rio Ferdinand, revealed last week that he would "love'' Arteta to come into the international squad.
No comments:
Post a Comment