The combative Everton midfielder was first capped for England at U19 level and was named in a number of squads after impressing with his performances at club level, where he was on the verge of the first team squad at times.
He was then called up for the England U20s squad for the game with France in February 2011, where he made his bow at that level before he was picked for the FIFA World Cup in Colombia later that year.