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World Cup | Qualifiers

Mar 26, 2013 at 8pm UK

Montenegro
1-1
England

Tom Cleverley: 'I'll fight for starting spot'

By Barney Corkhill, Editor | 25 March 2013

England midfielder Tom Cleverley insists that he is not taking a starting spot for granted ahead of the Three Lions' match against Montenegro tomorrow evening.

England midfielder Tom Cleverley has insisted that he is not taking his starting spot for granted despite having played the last eight matches for the Three Lions.

England face Montenegro tomorrow with a plethora of midfield talent available to manager Roy Hodgson, including captain Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Michael Carrick, Scott Parker and Leon Osman.

Cleverley's recent performances for club and country have put him amongst the most likely to start, but the 23-year-old insists that he will continue to try to earn his starting spot on the training field.

"Every time we meet up I know I have to train hard. I am thankful to the manager that he has picked me a lot this year, but there are some fantastic midfielders as well so I don't take anything for granted," Cleverley said.

"It's only natural for big games like this [against Montenegro] that everyone wants to play. Those who aren't will be disappointed. But coming off the bench and helping the team to win is part of the job, too.

"Both England and United have great players, especially in my position. It's just as hard to get into either team. We just accept that there are great players with both club and country so we just have to work as hard as we can to get into either team."

England are currently two points behind Montenegro in their World Cup qualifying group, but would leapfrog tomorrow's opponents into top spot with a win.