Fabian Delph 'excited' by first England senior call-up

Wednesday 03 Sep 2014
Fabian Delph is enjoying his first experience of the England senior team

England fans can expect 100 per cent from newcomer Fabian Delph if he gets his chance against Norway at Wembley.  

The Aston Villa midfielder received his first call-up from Roy Hodgson last week and says he's enjoying a taste of the senior set-up.

After a "consistent" couple of seasons at Villa Park, the 24-year-old was excited to get the recognition and was welcomed in to the camp by some familiar faces.

England v Norway

International Match
8pm, Wednesday 3 September 2014
Wembley Stadium connected by EE
www.TheFA.com/tickets

"I’ve really enjoyed it, it’s a new experience for me. I already knew quite a few of the boys, so it was nice to catch up with them," he told TheFA.com. 

"I know Danny Rose – I’ve known him since I was eleven years old as we came through the system at Leeds together, I know Welbeck, Sturridge, Wilshere and obviously James Milner from playing with him at Aston Villa. 

"You play against these guys week in and week out, and they are nice people so it’s good to be here. I expected it to be relaxed, there’s a lot who are a similar age to me. 

"I didn’t expect to come here and not be welcomed, so everything has gone perfect so far."

He continued: "I had the cool-down the first day I was here, then the second day I was training. 

"The tempo was high, the quality was up and it was really good. You can never guess what it’s going to be like and the intensity was quite high, but I don’t mind running about." 

Fabian Delph speaks to FATV

Delph will start on the bench against Norway as Hodgson heads into the first two games of the new campaign with a young squad with an average age of 25.

And the former Leeds United youth product, who played for England at Under-21s and U19s level, knows this is a chance for him to stake a claim in the side after working his way into Hodgson's plans.

"As I got in from training on Thursday morning, the doctor pulled me and said he’d had some information sent through, then I walked out of his office and everyone said ‘congratulations’, so that’s when I found out [I was in the squad]," revealed Delph.

"I felt really excited, I felt proud and I was looking forward to coming. Now I’m here I’m even happier. 

"The last two seasons have been pretty consistent, last season was probably better than the one before, so he’s picked me on the back of playing well for my club. 

"[Fans can expect] 100 per cent commitment. I like to get around the pitch with a lot of energy, close people down, so that’s what I’ll look to do if I get a chance to get on the pitch." 

And if Delph does make an appearance at Wembley on Wednesday, it won't be his first time playing under the Arch.

In November 2009 he played there for England Under-21s in a European Qualifier against Portugal. 

Fellow senior team newcomer Rose scored the winner in a 1-0 victory that day, while Daniel Sturridge was on the bench. 

Fabian Delph

Fabian Delph trains with England

"Everybody says it’s every boy’s dream [to play at Wembley], but you don’t actually think it will come true. But if it does I’m sure me, my family and friends will all be happy.

"The Portugal game was a long time ago and it’s frightening to think how fast time goes. It’s a really big pitch and I’ll be looking forward to going there again." 

He added: "It’s a clean slate, everyone’s going to have to be ready, and we’re going to have to take the game to teams and try to be solid. 

"We’ve got a lot of talented players who don’t get the credit they deserve. We have a lot of attacking players and hopefully if we gel and bring it together we can be a solid unit.

"The opportunity is there and I’m happy to be here and hopefully I can’t take it and do well." 

England meet Norway at Wembley on Wednesday night to kick off the new season. You can buy tickets online here...
By Jamie Bradbury FA Editor