Steven Gerrard is determined to prove to Fabio Capello that he is England's top midfielder.
And the Liverpool captain has pledged to bring his club form to the international arena if coach Capello sticks by him.
Gerrard is likely to start out wide on the left in Wednesday's World Cup qualifier against Belarus in a variation of the 4-4-2 formation which finished the 5-1 victory against Kazakhstan on Saturday.
He said: "He (Capello) wants me to emulate my form for Liverpool for England and he is prepared to help me.
"That's what I want. I don't want a manager to give up on me for club or country. I want them to keep trying to make me better.
"I'll be honest, I haven't always hit my Liverpool form for England but it's not through a lack of trying. I'm desperate to play well for England.
"I have delivered but I need to make that more consistent. That's the next challenge for me, to try to stay in the starting XI and perform as consistently for England as I do for Liverpool. But I believe we are getting to where we want to be."
Gerrard, who describes life under Capello as "not scary, but exciting", insists his preferred role is as an attacking midfielder, although he accepts there are times when he has to be more disciplined when playing in partnership with Frank Lampard for England.
He said: "While I've still got that burst of energy I want to make the most of it. I still feel I've got a lot of years in these legs yet.
"Long term, well into my 30s, I can see myself going further back, probably ending up at right-back or left-back where I started."
The 28-year-old is optimistic, however, that the meticulous planning and ruthless nature which Capello brings to England will result in success.
He continued: "The new manager doesn't pick the team until a couple of hours before kick-off which I think is really healthy.
"Sometimes we knew the team very early in the week and the players who weren't involved would give up because they weren't in the XI, but training has been really competitive and everybody is fighting for positions.
"The manager has shown in the games he has been in charge he's prepared to make changes. He's not bothered about big names or big hitters, he'll pick the team who he thinks will do the job."
Gerrard is likely to start out wide on the left in Wednesday's World Cup qualifier against Belarus in a variation of the 4-4-2 formation which finished the 5-1 victory against Kazakhstan on Saturday.
He said: "He (Capello) wants me to emulate my form for Liverpool for England and he is prepared to help me.
"That's what I want. I don't want a manager to give up on me for club or country. I want them to keep trying to make me better.
"I'll be honest, I haven't always hit my Liverpool form for England but it's not through a lack of trying. I'm desperate to play well for England.
"I have delivered but I need to make that more consistent. That's the next challenge for me, to try to stay in the starting XI and perform as consistently for England as I do for Liverpool. But I believe we are getting to where we want to be."
Gerrard, who describes life under Capello as "not scary, but exciting", insists his preferred role is as an attacking midfielder, although he accepts there are times when he has to be more disciplined when playing in partnership with Frank Lampard for England.
He said: "While I've still got that burst of energy I want to make the most of it. I still feel I've got a lot of years in these legs yet.
"Long term, well into my 30s, I can see myself going further back, probably ending up at right-back or left-back where I started."
The 28-year-old is optimistic, however, that the meticulous planning and ruthless nature which Capello brings to England will result in success.
He continued: "The new manager doesn't pick the team until a couple of hours before kick-off which I think is really healthy.
"Sometimes we knew the team very early in the week and the players who weren't involved would give up because they weren't in the XI, but training has been really competitive and everybody is fighting for positions.
"The manager has shown in the games he has been in charge he's prepared to make changes. He's not bothered about big names or big hitters, he'll pick the team who he thinks will do the job."
Copyright (c) Press Association
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