Ox has eyes on England century

10 October 2012 09:59
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain wants to establish himself as an England regular but knows he must work hard if he is to ever reach a century of caps.

The Arsenal player is in contention to make his eighth international appearance when the Three Lions face San Marino at Wembley on Friday. He is only 19 and would like to think he has a long England career ahead of him, although he insists he will take nothing for granted.

"I want to get as many caps as I can for England, score as many goals as I can, win as many things as I can with England and Arsenal," said Oxlade-Chamberlain.

"Everyone would like to get to 100 caps, but that's a massive target. If I can get close to that I will be absolutely delighted.

"I guess I could say 100 and I would be more than satisfied. I've got to do well on and off the pitch to get there, though."

Oxlade-Chamberlain has enjoyed a rapid rise to prominence over the past 18 months, securing a move to Arsenal from Southampton in the summer of 2011 before earning a call-up to Roy Hodgson's Euro 2012 squad. He said:

"The Euros was a massive experience for me, moving forward in my career. I didn't think that would come so soon, so it was an honour it did. I enjoyed every minute of it.

"Seeing the stadiums and the fans and the buzz of a massive tournament like that was an experience I will never forget and one I hope will happen every two years."

Oxlade-Chamberlain added:

"Just being able to train with the boys, people like Steven Gerrard that I have grown up watching, was massive for me.

"Then to get the nod to play in the first game was unbelievable. It was massive for me.

"It was just inspirational for someone like me. I want to make sure I work hard enough to keep getting in those England squads."

Source: team_talk