Brighton goalkeeper Jason Steele says being called up for England by manager Thomas Tuchel is “unbelievable” and something he will “treasure forever”.
England have said Steele, who has not made a single Premier League appearance for Brighton this season, is named “with the prospect of him joining the World Cup squad as a training goalkeeper during the summer”.
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The call-up is the 35-year-old’s first at senior international level since he represented Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics in London.
“It’s been a very emotional week, for my family especially,” Steele told BBC Radio Sussex. “I’m really looking forward to it, to meet everyone, and to show them what I can do on and off the pitch.
“My job is to come into work every day – like everyone else – and try my best. I try to have a positive impact every single day on everything I can control.
“I’m over the moon and really happy. I’ll try my hardest every single day in training and see what happens.
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“I’m not playing every week at my club, so a lot of people will question why I would be in the squad. He [Tuchel] has obviously done his homework and when I do get the opportunity to play, I always try to help the team as much as I can.
“I think I’ve shown this season that I train hard and prepare every day as if I am going to play, so maybe that has a positive impact on people.
“As a goalkeeper, no matter how good you are, you’re always going to have tough periods so it’s about having the resilience to come through it and believe in yourself.
“This club have been amazing to me. I was at my lowest and they supported me and got me back up there by showing belief in me.
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“You have to have ability to play at this level, but mentality is probably the most important part. So I’m really looking forward to this opportunity and I’m going to go there and show myself.”
England continue their World Cup preparations with friendlies against Uruguay on 27 March and Japan on 31 March.
Listen to an interview with Steele in the latest episode of Albion Unlimited on BBC Sounds
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