JAMES ON RED ALERT FOR A CAP
JAMES TARKOWSKI is hoping to catch the eye of England boss Gareth Southgate by keeping boyhood heroes Manchester United in check.
The 25-year-old central defender has been tipped for an England call-up and can strengthen his claims against Jose Mourinho’s men at Turf Moor tomorrow.
“We know that we are being watched because the team is doing well and the league position has been better than expected,” said Tarkowski, who is also eligible to play for Poland.
“If you are a team that is doing well, there is a good chance that it will at least attract the attention of the England manager.
“Gareth Southgate has been to a few games and players know that he has been there and are hoping they might get a chance to show what they can do.
“But there are a lot of players vying for a small number of spots, and especially in defence, so it is very difficult to get in there. All you can do is play at a high level and do your best.
“That said, the dream is closer than it was when I was at Oldham and also Brentford.
“There, you know you are nowhere near it. At Burnley, there is more of a chance.”
Tarkowski missed the Boxing Day clash at Old Trafford while banned for three games.
The centre-back, who grew up a fanatical Red Devils fan, added: “Obviously I am desperate to play against United.
“I missed the away ®
Dream
® game through being suspended. And if I play that will be a really special moment for me.
“The family used to have a couple of season tickets at Old Trafford and I went every other home game.
“Of course, when you get to be a professional, all that goes out of the window.
“My heroes were David Beckham, Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes, Rooney and Ronaldo. I wasn’t actually a centre-half until I was about 16, so it wasn’t just Rio.
“If I’m up against Romelu Lukaku, we know he is a big, strong lad and you don’t want to get too close to him because then he can get hold of you and roll you.
“So you have to be a bit clever and not just try and bulldoze him, a bit like Christian Benteke last week at Palace.”
Burnley striker Jon Walters has been ruled out for up to eight weeks after undergoing keyhole knee surgery.