Source: PA
Dawson eyes England springboard
Michael Dawson is hoping to kick-start his England career after injuries prevented him from building on his initial breakthrough with his country.
The Tottenham defender was a late replacement in the World Cup squad last summer for Rio Ferdinand after he withdrew with a knee problem. Dawson did not feature in South Africa but made his breakthrough in the friendly international with Hungary at Wembley in August.
But then his pride at making his competitive debut in the Euro 2012 qualifier against Bulgaria the following month was shattered when he suffered ankle and knee injuries. It led to a three-month spell on the sidelines which not only curtailed Dawson's England aspirations but also ruled him out of the group stages of Tottenham's initial Champions League campaign.
"The timing of the injury couldn't have come at a worse time," said Dawson, who is part of the England squad for Wednesday's clash with Denmark "I got my first full England cap against Hungary after waiting a long time for it, and to walk out at Wembley for the qualifier (with Bulgaria) was a fantastic honour
"I was alongside Phil Jagielka and we felt quite comfortable. Then 60 minutes into it, I did my knee and ankle which was devastating for me. That night when I got back to the hotel, we thought maybe I was going to be out a lot longer than it turned out. We thought I was going to miss the whole season but fortunately it was only three months. It didn't feel like `only' three months at the time.
"It felt a lot longer and I missed lots of important games for Tottenham, with them being in the Champions League, as well as England squads. But I worked hard to get back, feel great, and hopefully I'll get my third cap and stake a claim to be in the team."
