Hendrie admits England defeat

Lee Hendrie says his current good form is not enough to get an England recall.

The Aston Villa midfielder has been in sparkling form for David O'Leary's side, but he does not believe he can rekindle his international career.

The 27-year-old earned one England cap under Glenn Hoddle in 1998, when he was widely regarded as one of the great hopes for the future.

Now, six years after his England appearance, Hendrie admits that his Three Lions days are more than likely over.

"Every time I get the ball now the crowd are chanting my name for England and that is something I have not heard for years," said Hendrie.

"But I am 27 now and I think the England thing is just about dead and buried. There are a lot of good midfielders coming through the ranks.

"I just want to concentrate on my Villa career and help the club move forward. This is the most confident I have been in a Villa shirt, especially going forward."

Hendrie puts his recent surge in form down to new Villa boss O'Leary, who revived his Villa Park future.

"He has been fantastic to me since he came in. If he had not come in then I would have gone. Graham Taylor made it clear he wanted to sell me.

"There was no future here for me. It was better that I moved on somewhere else - even though I didn't want to but it's all changed under the current manager.

"He has boosted my confidence so much by picking me all the time but equally you know that if you don't perform then you won't be playing."