Tottenham defender Ledley King maintains it would be “a dream” to play for England at the World Cup finals in South Africa this summer, and has not ruled out his chances of making Fabio Capello’s squad, despite his injury concerns.

Capello is mulling over including the centre back in his squad, even though a persistent knee injury means he is reduced to playing one game a week and training on his own in the pool and on the bike in-between.

And King, one of the most accomplished defenders in the Premier League, has not given up hope of an international future.

“It would be a dream to pull on that England shirt again, and what player would ever turn that down?” King told Hotspur Magazine.

“But there’s only one place where that starts and that’s here at Tottenham, and I need to play first and then well, so they’re the two things that I always concentrate on.

“Do that, and the rest takes care of itself.”

The issues surrounding King are easily identified. Against Arsenal, Tottenham’s first win over their bitter rivals in the league in a decade, he was inspirational. However, three days later he was not fit enough to face Chelsea.

“I’m quite philosophical about whether the call will come,” said King.

“All you can do is play your football. You’ve got to make sure you play well and if you do then you give yourself a chance.

“Of course, I’d love to represent my country and be part of the World Cup squad though I can’t deny this season has been a difficult one for me - I’ve not been playing consistently and have had quite a few niggling injuries.

“Of course, the injury holds me back in one sense.

“But in another - through having to deal with the adversity of not being able to play every week, and not being able to train - I’ve had to invest heavily in mental side of things. I believe that, in itself, has made me a more complete player.

“It’s not easy. But over the last couple of years I’ve become mentally stronger than ever before.

“Its true, some days you do wonder if you’ve still ‘got it’, especially when you’re not assessing yourself every day in training. It makes it tough, but it’s something that I have learned to deal with.

“The lack of training during the week brings with it its own pressure. If I am rusty or tight, it’s all going to come out in the game. But I love playing and for as long as I feel I can perform at the highest level then I will do it.

“I could spend hours wondering how my career would have been different if the injury hadn’t come along - I’d have played more often, I hope, but maybe I wouldn’t have had the mental reserves that now form such an important part of my game.

“I still feel I’m playing the best football of my career, and when I can build up a consistency of games and get into a rhythm then that’s when I’m at my best.”