West Ham United striker Andy Carroll has revealed that he is 'hopeful' of earning a place in the England squad at next summer's World Cup.
Gareth Southgate's side made certain of their place at the tournament last week courtesy of a 1-0 win over Slovenia, but have been criticised for their lacklustre displays over the last year.
Carroll has not featured for the national side since 2012, having had several spells on the sidelines with injury, but now hopes to impress at club level in the coming months in order to stake a claim for a place in Russia.
"It would be nice to be in the squad, it is nice to be spoken about in that way," he told Sky Sports News.
"All I have got to do is work hard and hopefully get the call but, at the minute, I am focused on getting fully fit here, scoring goals, and getting good results. If I deserve it, hopefully I will get the call.
"I am confident of what I can do and it is different to what they have got at the minute. I am fully confident of my ability.
"I am feeling good; I am feeling a lot sharper than I did at the beginning of the season, getting back fit. I have had a run of games. In training, I feel a lot sharper, not 100% yet but I am getting there."
Carroll has featured in the Hammers' last four Premier League games - starting three - but has yet to open his goalscoring account for the season.
Neil Wilkes
