James Maddison never felt the door was closed on his England ambitions and felt 'no bitterness' towards Gareth Southgate despite not being picked for three years.
The Leicester City attacking midfielder was selected for England's 26-man World Cup squad after an excellent start to the season at club level.
Maddison, 25, made his one and only England appearance off the bench in a 7-0 win over Montenegro back in November 2019 before being overlooked - until now.
'No there was no bitterness,' he said in a press conference in Doha as England prepare for their World Cup opener against Iran on Monday.