Guthrie eyes England call-up

Guthrie eyes England call-up

Published Sep. 6, 2012 9:15 a.m. ET

Reading midfielder Danny Guthrie is hoping a prolonged run in the Royals' first-team could lead to an England call-up.

The 25-year-old moved to the Madejski Stadium after not being offered a new deal at Newcastle, where he had become more used to sitting on the bench.

He has impressed in his first two games for Reading and now the former Liverpool youngster is targeting a start to his international career.

"I'm a really ambitious person so I'd love to represent my country, it's one of the reasons why I did move on," he told Reading's official website.

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"It's one of the things I want to tick off on my list and I feel if I'm playing well and regularly I can.

"You've got your top players - the (Steven) Gerrards, (Frank) Lampards and (Jack) Wilsheres - then after that I think there's a chance for a new group of midfielders to come through."

Guthrie also revealed it was a meeting with Reading boss Brian McDermott that convinced him to complete a move the Berkshire club.

"It would have been easy for me to sign a deal at Newcastle and play 20 games a season but if I wanted to go to the next level then I felt I had to move on," he said.

"I spoke to a few clubs over the summer but once I'd met the manager, and heard his plans, this is where I wanted to be."

Guthrie scored his first Reading goal in the 4-2 defeat at Chelsea and is playing in a more advanced role under McDermott than he has been used to in the past.

He said: "In my time at Newcastle I was used more in a sitting role, like a quarter back almost - spraying the ball about, but the manager has seen something in me and wants me to get forward into the opposition's final third to create a goal or create a chance."

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