Manchester United striker Michael Owen has not given up hope of playing for his country again and insists it is still possible for him to break England's goalscoring record.
Owen, 32, has struggled for regular football at Old Trafford, featuring in only 79 minutes of Premier League action this term.
A combination of injuries and Sir Alex Ferguson favouring other forwards has seen Owen fall down the pecking order and reduced him to a bit-part role with the champions.
And yet, despite his lack of first-team opportunities, Owen still harbours dreams of pulling on an England shirt and firmly believes he can improve on his total of 40 goals, and even better Sir Bobby Charlton's haul of 49.
"I am proud of what I did for England and what I have done," he told the Daily Mirror. "Obviously Sir Bobby's records are in my sights. I am still here."
Having been a regular for England during his Liverpool and Real Madrid days, Owen - who has scored 40 times in 89 games for his country - soon found himself out of favour when Fabio Capello began his tenure in 2008.
"As soon as Fabio Capello took over, that was it," he said. "I was on the bench for his first game in charge after having been an automatic starter for 10 years, and then after that I wasn't in the squad. The manager is the only man who will know the answer why.
"You have to accept it. If you get upset and angry to start with, if you will keep getting wound up. You have to let it go and that's that. I don't know why, that's something you have to ask the current manager.
"Once you make a decision then maybe you've made the decision. That's it, and even if I kept scoring I don't know what would have happened."
Deluded little shit, needs to be put down. Can't even make the bench for Manchester United, but expects to be in the England team.
Gobshite.
