Daniel Sturridge has thanked Roy Hodgson for selecting him for England despite not being a regular starter for Chelsea.
The striker has made just 11 appearances in all competitions for the Blues
this season and all but one of those was from the bench.However, that has not stopped Hodgson naming him in his squad for Wednesday's friendly against Sweden
in Stockholm.Sturridge
said: "It's obviously a huge opportunity for myself coming into this
squad and the manager showing faith to pick me for this friendly."It is a lot more difficult when you are not playing regularly but I just try to train hard - I train like I play - and just wait for the opportunity.
"When the England manager got the job he made it clear it was not just going to be about the players who are going to be starting for their team.
"If he believes in you and he believes you can bring something to the table then he's going to pick you for the squads and it's irrelevant whether you are starting for your team."
The 23-year-old has made all three of his previous England appearances from the bench, including his debut against the Swedes almost exactly a year ago when he was asked to play a wide role.
And he says he will be happy to get on the pitch again against the Swedes whatever position he is asked to play and whether it is from the start or as a substitute.
"When I played against Sweden it was a year ago and I played on the wing," said Sturridge. "It would be fantastic if the manager choses to play me from the start.
"But if I don't get to start it's not going to be a huge blow. Hopefully I can play some part and any form of minutes for me would be great."
