Gary Neville has insisted he will never voluntarily quit international football despite admitting he may have played in his last World Cup.

But Neville, who has represented his country 81 times in the last 11 years, still has the hunger and desire to play at the highest level.

The Manchester United defender said: "Perhaps I have played in my last World Cup finals but I have said always I will never retire from international football.

"It's not Gary Neville's right to retire from international football. While I'm still playing football for any club then I will be available for my country. That is the way it has always been and always will be with me.''

Neville is also confident that the 2008 European Championships in Austria and Switzerland represents a realistic chance for the current squad to lift a trophy with England.

Neville said: "I still think there is a little bit left in the golden generation. I don't think it is the end.

"But we all know this World Cup was a big chance for us. It was on European soil and we cruised through to the quarter-final without even having to perform. It is another lost opportunity - one of many because we have got good players.

"We start again with a new manager in four or five weeks' time and a friendly against Greece. We are suffering now but we have to pick ourselves up and go again.

"You move on. I start pre-season training again on July 24 with United and, I know it may sound wrong, but you have to start thinking about that, your preparation, getting yourself ready to go again.

"It's the English mentality. You pick yourself up and you fight back. You don't give anything away.

"England always go again. What else can we do? You can't give in and say 'that's it, we are going to stop playing football'.

"It's a proud football nation. It has suffered more than this and it will suffer again I am sure but we will bounce back and keep striving.''