Leicester City midfielder Danny Drinkwater insisted he would not blame England manager Roy Hodgson if he ditched him for forgotten man Jack Wilshere.
Drinkwater, 26, is in England’s Euro 2016 26-man provisional squad after a starring role in the Foxes’ stunning Premier League title win.
Online poll: Which player will be left off England's final Euro 2016 squad?
He made his Three Lions debut against Holland in March and played 35 times in the league for Claudio Ranieri’s side, who finished 10 points clear of Wilshere’s second placed Arsenal.
Wilshere has made just three appearances for the Gunners, all in the last month, and only played 141 minutes this season but has been included in Hodgson’s squad and Drinkwater would understand if he lost out.
“The midfield has a lot of quality and the players we are talking about have ridiculous quality,” he said. “They have played at the top level so I would understand.
“If it happens I will understand and I’ll work hard again next season and see where it goes. I’m just going to train how I usually train and work really hard and if I’m in the 23 I’m in the 23.
“There are three games to play [Turkey, Australia and Portugal] and everyone needs to stay fit and I need to keep my fitness, and hopefully I’ll be there at the end.”
ALSO READ:
England Euro 2016 squad: Manchester United surprise with Marcus Rashford
Welbeck vows to ‘be back stronger’ after knee surgery rules him out of Euro 2016
England face Russia, Wales and Slovakia in France next month and Drinkwater believes the Three Lions can win the tournament.
“Even if I don’t make the 23, England have got a massive chance of winning the Euros and I’d love to be involved,” he said. “Just reflecting on the season, it’s been a massive positive for me and that would be the icing on the cake.”
The former Manchester United trainee, who joined the Foxes in 2012, will go into the Uefa Champions League with Leicester next season and feels Ranieri does not need to bring in many new signings.
“Let’s not change anything. We’ve won the Premier League and it’s massive,” he said. “Next season there is the Champions League and then we will do what we can to retain the title. What this season has done for the club is massive. It’s huge, and hopefully we can continue to make it grow.”
sports@thenational.ae
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE
Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport