Watford midfielder Nathaniel Chalobah has admitted that making his senior debut for England would mean a lot more to him now, after returning from a lengthy break due to a knee injury.
Chalobah, who joined the Hornets from Chelsea in the summer of 2017, earned a call-up to Gareth Southgate’s England squad last year, but did not get the opportunity to make his debut for the senior team.
The midfielder suffered a knee injury in training shortly after his return from international duty and was sid-lined for eight months after undergoing surgery on his knee cap.
The 23-year-old has earned almost 100 caps for England across various age groups and is now looking to earn his first cap for the senior team during their games against Croatia and Spain in the UEFA Nations League.
Chalobah admitted that making his debut for the Three Lions would now mean a lot more to him considering his lengthy layoff due to injury, after coming very close to earning his first cap last year.
"Definitely [a senior cap now would mean more], because I had that down as my target last year to try to get in the team”, Chalobah told the BBC.
"I knew if I got in the team I wouldn't play straight away, I had to be patient, then I got injured and I was like 'ok, we are back to square one now'.
"I have got to start again and try to work my way back into the team.
"I have always had that in the back of my mind that if I keep my head down, if I keep working hard, then hopefully my chance will come."
Chalobah has featured just once for Javi Gracia’s Hornets in the Premier League this season, when he came off the bench to play a few minutes during the win over Tottenham Hotspur at Vicarage Road.
