Patrick Bamford has vowed to keep working hard for Leeds to make his England dream come true.
Bamford narrowly missed out on a first call-up from Gareth Southgate and he refuses to be disheartened by going so close.
He sees it as a sign of his progress and admits it would have been “crazy thinking” to talk about him and England at the start of the season.
“At the start of the season if they had mentioned my name in connection with England, I’d have thought that’s a bit crazy thinking,” he said.
“To say I’ve come this far and be kind of getting mentioned and Southgate says I’m close to it is a dream, it’s unreal to play for England.
“It’s just one of those things now because I’m so close, I want to keep working and put my name in the picture for every time there is an international call-up.
“If I do get called up, brilliant, and if I don’t, I’ll just keep working hard and see what happens.”
Bamford has caught Southgate’s eye not just because of his 14 goals and six assists in the Premier League, but because he is so important to how Leeds play.
Southgate has watched Bamford several times and the former Chelsea striker says he enjoyed working with the Three Lions boss when he was in charge of the Under-21s.
“I know he normally picks games where they are a few English players in both teams, so it’s nice to know he’s kind of recognising what I’m doing and seeing the work I’m putting in,” he said.
“It pushes me to go that little bit further. It’s one of those things, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.
“I think I just need to keep playing my game and keep playing the way Marcelo Bielsa wants me to play if that fits in with his plan, then perfect.
“I know he’s a good manager because I’ve worked with him with England’s Under-21s. He’s a very man-to-man manager, good at tactics and things like that.”
Bamford, 27, is thriving with Leeds in the Premier League and takes satisfaction from knowing he has made his many doubters eat their words.
“I never want to say I’m happy because that would mean I’m content with where I’m when I want to keep going,” he told the Official Leeds United Podcast.
“But there is that thing in my head, if I hit 20 goals, I’m just thinking people who said I’m not good enough are basically eating their own words.
“I’ve maybe not said it publicly, but I’ve always believed I’m good enough so for me it was kind of proving that to myself.”
