Michael Carrick: I'm desperate to get my England chance. I know I will take it
Michael Carrick does not fit the image of a tub-thumping patriot. You will not see him hollering out the national anthem like John Terry, or kissing the badge with gusto a la Frank Lampard.
But question his inner passion for his country and the normally passive features of the £18million midfielder begin to look quite hurt.
'I am desperate to play for my country, whether it be at Wembley or in World Cups. It is a huge honour,' he said, the voice unusually raised. 'Just because I don't go around shouting about it, and saying this and that. That's just not in my nature.'
Carrick is the consummate club professional. It is why Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson paid such a handsome sum of money to buy him from Spurs in 2006 when everyone else said he was overpriced.
In three seasons at Old Trafford, Carrick, 28, has helped United win three Premier League titles and reach two Champions League finals.
For once, though, it is England that is uppermost in his mind. This evening Fabio Capello names his squad for England's two remaining World Cup qualifiers against Ukraine, next Saturday, and Belarus four days later.
With England already qualified after eight successive victories in Group Six, it gives the Italian a rare licence to experiment, and Carrick is one of those eager to step in from the subs' bench where he has spent most of the qualifying campaign.
The Champions League winner against Wolfsburg he scored in front of Capello at Old Trafford on Wednesday night could not have harmed his prospects for being involved in Dnipr at the weekend.
'I'm hoping he [Capello] may make changes. I'd love to play and if I get my chance, I will take it,' said Carrick. 'It has been frustrating for me with England because I want to play all the time.
'I know first and foremost I have to perform well enough for United to warrant a place in the team. I have had to be patient but hopefully my chance will come along and I will be able to grab it.
'I'll be waiting like everyone else to hear what the squad is. I can't even look at that as a given. It will be a case of waiting for that text to come through to tell me I'm in.'
Michael Carrick
Passionate: Michael Carrick has proved his worth at club level, but playing for England is now uppermost in his mind
Carrick has a technical ability and range of passing that stands out among English midfielders.
There is an appreciation, too, for the ebb and flow of play which should be ideally suited to international football. Yet, for some reason, his England career has been very much stop-start.
He was still a teenager when Sven Goran Eriksson handed him his debut against Mexico in 2001.
But eight years later, he still only has 19 caps to his name, many of them as a substitute.
The last World Cup in Germany was a classic example of Carrick's fortunes.
He was named in the squad, sat out the group games, but then played from the start in the 1-0 victory against Ecuador in the first knockout round.
So what happened next?
He was dropped for the quarter-final against Portugal, which England lost on penalties.
Under Capello it has been a similar story. Carrick has won the Champions League while Gareth Barry has never played in it.
But it is Barry who the Italian has most frequently chosen to complement Steven Gerrard and Lampard.
Carrick's desire has been cited as a possible explanation but he insists: 'Nobody wants to play for England more than me. I dreamed of playing in the World Cup, same as any other kid. My passion when England comes around is as strong as it could be. I am desperate for that honour, and I am aware it is something you can't buy. I like the fact that you are always in the spotlight with England, just as you are at United. The expectations are at a level where you have to try and win every game. It makes you want to improve and results show that.'
Jamie Carragher caused a storm in his autobiography when he revealed that playing for Liverpool meant more to him than playing for England, and hinted that was the attitude of a lot of northern players.
Carrick declares: 'I can only speak for myself really. I love playing for England. Look around at the squad and everyone is enjoying it, it's a great place to be. I can only say for the lads that are there at the moment and have been playing of late, results speak for themselves.'
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