Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has admitted it feels like he is making a “new start” for England.
The Ox has missed the last three tournaments through injury but has forged a new role in central midfield since moving to Liverpool .
That has given him a new lease of life under Gareth Southgate, with the England boss still looking for the right midfield formula ahead of next summer’s Euros.
Oxlade-Chamberlain scored his first England goal since June 2017 on his first appearance for his country since March 2018 and it feels like he is determined to make up for lost time.
When asked whether this is a fresh start for England, he said: “In a way, yes.
“I have been around for a while and had a lot of injuries that have kept me out of big games and tournaments.
“I think that going to Liverpool people saw that as a new start and then when I started to find my feet in midfield it was like a new Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain that people hadn’t seen at Arsenal quite as consistently.
“I was coming into that form when we played Holland and Italy in the March just before I got injured and I think I brought that form into England and it fitted into this team but since the injury I guess I am trying to pick up where I left off with that in Liverpool and with England.
“In that time as well there have been a lot of other boys who have come through; James Maddison is doing really well, Ross has been doing well especially with England and you have the likes of Hendo (Jordan Henderson) as well, Mason Mount has come into the fold now.
“There are different players and new dynamics so it is nice to slot back in and keep pushing myself to keep improving and try to find something different to help this team move forward.”
Oxlade-Chamberlain also believes the competition and quality within the England squad has never been better because the players are up against world class opponents every week.
He added: “Every player in this team plays in the Premier League except Jadon, but we play in the hardest league in the world and everyone is used to playing against the likes of Pogba or Kante – or playing with them.
“We play with top players and against top players week in, week out and as you get to later rounds of a competition you come up against the likes of those names and things get harder.
“Then you have got to put in your best performances to overcome those challenges but it is something the boys deal with at club level against top, top players and they had it as well in the World Cup.
“We have got the ability to beat anyone on our day but we have got to also have the ability to stop them beating us because when you come up against top teams they can beat you and you can beat them – that is how it goes, it is about who is better on the day.
“I’m not too worried about the names you say or anyone we will come against, we are going to have to worry about that when they are put in front of us and only then.
“Until then we need to keep improving ourselves, keep confidence in this team and I have an abundance of that in this group of players.”
