Everton's star: It's not the way I amEverton midfielder Phillip Neville has talked of his happiness to have earnt a recall to the England team and revealed that he will never be ‘unavailable’ to represent his country.
He said: "I hated the thought of having eight weeks off in the summer.
"So to get the call to come back from Barbados - even if it was only for training - was the best three weeks of my summer.
"I can only speak for myself but I will never retire from international football.
"The day I stop playing is the day I won't be available for England. Some players retire when they're not even in the squad, so that's just an excuse.
"But it's not the way I am. It really hit me hard when I was left out for the 1998 World Cup. But this time I didn't think the manager was right in not selecting me and that kept me going throughout the summer. "
"If you get left out at club level for a few weeks you can demand a move.
"When it happens in international football you've just got to keep fighting because you can't move to another country.
"And it's so special playing for this country that it's worth the fight, for me."
![]() |












