Spurs star Aaron Lennon targets return to the England team

Aaron Lennon has pledged to force his way back into Fabio Capello's plans after a sparkling display in Tottenham's 1-0 win over Blackburn.

Lennon looked to be the long-term successor to David Beckham on the right of England's midfield when he impressed as a substitute at the 2006 World Cup, but the 21-year-old has not played for his country since the 3-0 win over Andorra in March, 2007.

The winger, who shone on his first Premier League start under Harry Redknapp, has watched on as Theo Walcott, David Bentley, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Beckham have pushed him down the pecking order.

Yet with Walcott now absent for three months with a shoulder injury, and with Lennon's Spurs team-mate Bentley seemingly out of favour, the door is open for the former Leeds star.

Lennon said: "It has not been nice to be out of the England squad. Having a taste of it in the 2006 World Cup was great, so my aim is definitely to get involved again.

"I was happy to see Theo doing well, but [his emergence] was another step back for me, and there are still quite a few players in front of me in the set-up. I have been back with the Under-
21s this season and the coach, Stuart Pearce,
tells me that I have to keep playing my own
game, and that my chance will come."

Lennon created the Roman Pavlyuchenko goal that saw boss Harry Redknapp lift his side to 15th in the table. The winger's excellence caused a half-time row between Spurs coach Joe Jordan and Rovers boss Paul Ince. Ince claimed he saw Jordan
speaking to the referee Howard Webb about
Andre Ooijer's treatment of Lennon, and stepped in to confront Jordan.