Spurs legend reveals why he was not always excited about England call-ups
Ledley King has admitted that he would often be worried about whether his knee would be able to cope with the additional stress whenever he was called up to the England squad.
King is considered by many to be one of the most talented centre-backs England has ever produced but the Tottenham legend only won 21 caps for his country due to his injury problems.
It is well documented that midway into his career, after having had multiple surgeries on his knee, he was unable to train.
Under the likes of Martin Jol and Harry Redknapp, the former Tottenham captain would often play on the weekend without having trained the whole week and he would still be one of the best players on the pitch.
Ledley King struggled with extra England stress
King, who was forced to hang up his boots back in 2012 when he was just 31, has now revealed how he was quite concerned about the extra travel and game time whenever he was called up to the Three Lions set-up.
The centre-back told The Telegraph: “During the five years of not training, there were numerous times when England would call me up. But I never felt confident in my body to add another game because of the fact that I was always breaking down.
“There is a restriction to my knee. Long journeys, if my leg is bent for too long then I’m definitely reminded of it. When it comes to playing football and twisting and turning, the stress you put it under, then it is a whole different problem.”
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Even though King might have only played 21 times for England, he delivered a couple of extremely memorable performances, the likes of which even the likes of John Terry, Rio Ferdinand and Sol Campbell have not.
His performance in the Euro 2004 against France arguably stands out, with the Tottenham man pocketing a peak Thierry Henry. Who knows just how good King would have become if not for his knee issues?
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