Neville wants England return

Phil Neville today pleaded with Sven-Goran Eriksson to throw him straight back into action in an England jersey.

The Manchester United star, 26, had been frozen out of Eriksson’s squads since the World Cup but was this morning arriving in Durban for Thursday’s friendly with South Africa.

And Neville is desperate to show the Swede what he can do after a season in which his game at United has been remoulded from that of a traditional full-back to a utility player frequently impressing in midfield.

“If you’re playing regularly at the level we do at Manchester United – and at the standard Alex Ferguson wants – hopefully the England coach sees that,” he said.

“I was always confident I’d get back into the squad. I needed a bit of luck with a couple of injuries and now I’m back in.

“Now I hope to get a chance to prove myself again.”

Neville, who has 37 caps to his name, revealed his frustration at being left kicking his heels at United’s Carrington training ground while his team-mates were pulling on the jersey.

He said: “It’s international weeks when you don’t play which make you realise how good playing for your country is.

“All the lads would come back talking about the trips and that made me realise how much I missed playing for my country.”