Source: SKY_Sports
Davies reveals England dream
Aston Villa's Curtis Davies hopes to one day play for England alongside Rio Ferdinand, a defender he rates as one of the finest in the world.
Davies has been called up to a number of England squads by Fabio Capello but he has yet to make his international debut.
At the age of 24 Davies knows there is still time for him to realise his ambitions and he is aiming to follow the example of Manchester United centre-back Ferdinand.
Davies has always been a massive supporter of the 30-year-old and is keen to make the same sort of impact in the game.
"I'd like to be as good as Rio. I'm a big fan of his and I think he's the best, or one of the best, defenders in the world," said Davies.
"He can do a bit of everything in the game. He doesn't mess about with the ball. When he needs to clear it, he'll do that.
"But, at the same time, he's got such good feet. He can come out with the ball, head it, do whatever he wants to do.
"For me to get anywhere near him ability-wise would be a big thing - and hopefully that would push me on to getting close to playing alongside him in an England shirt.
"Whether it's alongside Rio or alongside anyone, I'd obviously love to play for England. That is my ambition."
Davies' immediate priority is to try and help Aston Villa get their European bid back on track with a victory over Everton on Sunday.
Everton have closed to within a point of fifth-placed Villa but Davies is still looking up rather than down and a possible UEFA Champions League place.
"We just have to keep going. Whether you're confident or not, you need to keep going because we're not ready to throw this away," he urged.
"And, as long as we're in touching distance, we believe we can do it and get into the Champions League.
"We've had a not ideal run of results but it's about picking yourself up for the next game because, if you keep your head down, we might as well pack our bags and go home now.
"We're still in the fight for that fourth place but, if we're not careful, we might be pipped for fifth place and then we might be pipped for sixth place.
"We need to keep going, stay positive and get as many points as we can."
