Jack Butland is 'over the moon' following his England call-up but is not abandoning his Olympics dream.
Young keeper still hoping to feature at London Games
Jack Butland says he is 'over the moon' following his England call-up but is not abandoning his dream of playing at this summer's London Olympics just yet.
Birmingham goalkeeper Butland was called into Roy Hodgson's squad for Euro 2012 on Friday after Norwich's John Ruddy was ruled out with a broken finger.
It is a remarkable rise for the 19-year-old, whose only senior experience came on loan at Cheltenham last year.
Butland is highly-rated by England's coaching staff, though, and should gain invaluable experience in Poland and Ukraine this summer.
However, there will be a potential downside for the teenager as the Football Association have previously stated that anyone selected for Euro 2012 would not feature in the Great Britain Olympic team, which Stuart Pearce had earmarked for the Bristol-born keeper.
But while Butland acknowledges there will be no break once he cuts short a holiday in Mexico to join up with Hodgson's squad ahead of next weekend's friendly with Belgium at Wembley, he wonders whether his third-choice status behind Joe Hart and Robert Green could allow some flexibility.
Dream
"I'm over the moon," he said. "It still hasn't sunk in and I can't explain how much this means to me.
"It's always been a dream of mine to play for my country, and this is another step.
"I cannot wait to join up with the squad, start training and gaining some fantastic experience.
"But I also know the Olympics will be an incredible tournament and an experience that may not come around in Olympic form or international form again in England.
"If there's a chance of still being able to go, I would grasp the opportunity with both hands."
