Patrick Bamford has revealed the reasons he chose not to play for the Republic of Ireland, while on duty with the England team.
The Leeds United striker's call-up to the Three Lions caps a remarkable rise for a player whose career has been pockmarked by dips in confidence.
But the coaching and confidence of Marcelo Bielsa has led to a call from Gareth Southgate ahead of England's World Cup qualification fixtures against Hungary, Andorra and Poland.
Speaking to The Telegraph , Bamford explained both the emotional and physical reasons behind turning down the Republic during his first season at Leeds.
"There was a point when, during my first season at Leeds where Mick McCarthy did get in touch," Bamford said.
"I had a knee injury, so I was more focused on getting fit and making sure I could play the rest of the season for Leeds.
"But, also, I felt because my heart had been committed to playing for England, and I had always dreamt of that, I felt it would be wrong to then play for Ireland to go and play international football just because they had asked me.
"I just think that if I went and played for Ireland, just in order to play international football, when my dream as a little kid was always to play for England and somebody else’s dream might have been to always play for Ireland,
"Then I ended up taking that slot just because I felt like the England one might never come and it [Ireland] might be, without being disrespectful, the easy option because it’s been offered to me, then I don’t think that’s the right thing to do."
Meanwhile, Bamford's club manager Marcelo Bielsa has praised the forward for his rise.
"If I could take any credit for it, I'd tell you," Bielsa told Sky Sports .
"He has given a lot of effort in order to be called up and from my point of view he deserves it.
"It's all down to his own hard work and this is only the start of his evolution as an international player.
"His characteristics as a player have always been the same, even before my time, and he's now reaping the benefits of an increase in his effectivity.
"He is a complete player physically and both his technical ability and mental qualities are extremely strong.
"I would not like to say how much he is worth in today's market.
"There are centre-forwards who have few chances at goal and there are others who have plenty - Bamford usually has chances during games and becoming more efficient is an important step."
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