Carrick Delighted His Manchester United Form Has Earned England Recall

The Red Devils' midfielder is looking forward to wearing his country's white shirt once again, but is treating his recall to the colours with typical modesty.

Michael Carrick seemed to be in the international wilderness when Fabio Capello took over as England manager, the softly-spoken Geordie having apparently slipped right down the Three Lions' pecking order as the Italian coach favoured the likes of Frank Lampard and Gareth Barry at the heart of his team.

However, the 27-year-old's displays for Manchester United have earned him a recall to the national squad, and he looks set to play at least some part in his country's friendly with Spain in Seville tonight.

The cultured midfielder also claims that his absence from England squads wasn't something he allowed to bother him, as he concentrated on working hard and putting in the kind of high-quality performances that have distinguished his season at Old Trafford so far.

"Not being in the England squad was not something I was worried about," the former West Ham United man told The Manchester Evening News. "It was just a case of getting it right at United.

"I believed I would get back in the squad if I was playing well enough, and that has been the case. It was not something I was losing sleep about because it wasn't something I could control.

"I wanted to be in the squad. That goes without saying, but when I wasn't it wasn't something I was going to moan and sulk about.

"What was that going to change if I went around moping? I always knew that if you played consistently well for your club then you would be picked."

Carrick displayed a highly professional attitude to his game, concentrating on his own performances and factors that he could influence, rather than worrying about the decisions of others.

"I was never going to get down about it," he added.

"At the time last season we were going for the Premier League and Champions League and that had to be my concern and my main focus. Apart from trying to play well it was all out of my hands.

"I just had to keep believing in my ability and know that eventually I would get back in there. The hard part now is staying there."