Hull’s Silva: Hard work and belief key for Clucas’ potential England nod
A shock England call-up could come the way of Sam Clucas this season, but Hull City manager Marco Silva is not among those surprised by the acclaim.
The midfielder has been a rare ray of sunshine in a disappointing season for the Tigers, still battling against relegation after a 19th defeat of the campaign against Stoke City on Saturday.
But, five years after almost getting a call-up to the England C side when playing in the Conference, Clucas’ time to shine may now be forthcoming.
The 26-year-old has more than impressed onlookers this season, with no other Tiger featuring more prominently this term – less than a year after failing to make the Championship play-off final side.
And for City boss Silva, a chance for Clucas to feature in England’s plans against Scotland and France in June is not beyond the realms of possibility, so long as he believes in his ability on the park.
(Photo by Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images)
“We’ll see if he plays for England,” he said. “Whether or not he achieves this goal, he just needs to continue to work.
“First of all it’s important that he believes (in himself) and after that it will be up to the coach to make the decision. But it’s important that he believes. We will see in the future.
“What I see in Clucas is one player who improves every day and in every match.
“He can play in not only one position but for me it’s clear that his best position is to play as a midfielder, to play more in the central zone. He’s a very good boy. He works hard, he’s got good skills.
“In the past he’s not played at this level. He’s grown up in his career and maybe he has to do more than the others to stay in the Premier League but at this moment he’s working hard and is a very important player for us. He’s one boy who tries to improve every single day and this is important.”
