EX-ROVER Alan Wright is determined to make the most of his England chance - even though he is still catching his breath at a whirlwind rise.

In a matter of just nine months, the little full back has jumped from Blackburn Rovers' Pontin's League team to the fringe of international selection.

And Rovers won't begrudge him his success if he goes all the way into the England team following this week's special squad training session.

Especially as it won't cost them a penny, let alone the £50,000 they themselves would have had to fork out if Wright had established himself at international level while at Ewood.

When he became Kenny Dalglish's first major signing for Rovers in October 1991, a package deal was drawn up with his first club, Blackpool. Rovers handed over £400,000 cash to the Seasiders, forked out another £50,000 when he had made 10 senior appearances and agreed to give Blackpool a further £50,000 if Wright earned five full England caps.

But that last condition became null and void once the player moved on to Aston Villa.

Blackpool, however, did collect an extra £90,000 out of the transfer fee - a 20 per cent profit sell-on clause was also in the deal - when he moved to Villa Park last March for £900,000.

It's ironic that Wright had to move because he couldn't dislodge England's left back Graeme Le Saux at Ewood.

Now he could find himself handed the injured Rovers player's place in the international side!

But he is taking nothing for granted.

"I can hardly believe what's happened," he said.

"In nine months I have gone from reserve team football with Blackburn to the England squad.

"Even at the start of the season, I didn't know whether I would be first choice with Villa until Steve Staunton was injured.

"I have been pleased with my form this season but it's up to me now to keep doing the business to boost my hopes of keeping a place. "The England call-up is brilliant but I am not getting carried away. Hopefully I can benefit from the experience.

"I have to try to impress but I just want to enjoy the experience of training with the England squad.

"People keep saying I have a chance of playing in Euro 96 because Graeme Le Saux is injured but I am not looking that far ahead.

"There's no point in building hopes up, because ultimately it's not in my hands.

"But I have played for England at all levels, from under-16 to under-21, and it would be nice to win a full cap."

While one former clubmate's injury could have opened the England door to the ex-Rover, it was another former team-mate from Blackpool who Wright feared might have closed it.

Trevor Sinclair, now with QPR, gave Wright the runaround in a Premiership game earlier this season, under the watchful eye of Terry Venables.

"I didn't have a good game that day and a lot of it was down to Trevor Sinclair," he admitted.

"We were at Blackpool together a few years ago and although I didn't remember much about him he had obviously remembered a lot about me! "You are always going to get the odd game when you are not up to scratch and that was a bad one for me.

"It was unfortunate that Terry Venables was there that day but he's obviously been at other games when I have done okay."

Wright was certainly a valued asset at Ewood but couldn't reclaim a regular spot after battling back from a lengthy injury absence.

In view of what has since happened to Le Saux, he could well have done just that.

But for the sake of his career at the time, he had to move and things could hardly have turned out better for him.

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