Jamie Carragher has angrily rejected suggestions that he
does not have the stomach to fight for his place in the England
team.
The Liverpool defender is considering his international future
after growing increasingly frustrated at his lack of chances in the
team.
Carragher has yet to make a definite decision on his international
future, but concedes it is likely he will quit playing for
England.
The 29-year-old was furious after it was suggested in an interview
he was taking the easy way out and he hit back at the slur.
"Don't ever call me a bottler on radio with all those thousands of
people listening," Carragher said on talkSPORT.
"I've had the stomach to fight for my place for the last eight
years.
"All I can do is play as well as I can for Liverpool. I've never
played that well for England because I've played a lot of the time
at full-back.
"There's that many people he's [England manager Steve McClaren]
played ahead of me. It's a game of opinions.
"But when you're at my age they are all younger than me, they are
all going to improve and maybe I won't at my age.
"I'm 29, I've been doing it for eight years and obviously I haven't
proved it enough so it's not going to change now is it?
"It's not like I've just got in the squad and I've jumped
out.
"At the moment it's not 100 per cent official because I've still
got to speak to the manager before the next game.
"But it's looking like that and as I said, if there was a major
injury crisis and the four centre-halves who he obviously picks
ahead of me are all injured and he's absolutely desperate then of
course I would (come back), yeah."
