Wolves goal king Sylvan Ebanks-Blake has lifted the lid on his exclusion from England’s under-21’s at Euro 2009 – and insists he is better for missing out.
The double Championship Golden Boot winner failed to make Stuart Pearce’s squad despite only three strikers – Gabriel Agbonlahor, Fraizer Campbell and Theo Walcott – selected.
But the 23-year-old, who was eligible, has revealed injuries to his back, hamstring and knee kept him out of the tournament in Sweden, where England reached the final where they lost 4-0 to Germany.
Ebanks-Blake said: “I wasn’t going to be selected, simply because of the injuries leading up to the end of the season.
“I had a number of injuries before I went away, after playing a lot of games last season.
“There was a risk of coming back to Wolves and missing out on pre-season, which is my bread and butter, a massive part of the build-up to the season.
“It was a decision we all came to and agreed on. Neither party thought it would be beneficial for me to go and send me back injured which could have set me back for pre-season.
“Now I’m on the trip to Australia, which I’m really looking forward to.”
Team-mate Richard Stearman has only just returned from the tournament after a gruelling season.
In contrast, Ebanks-Blake feels he has benefitted from an extended summer break after resting since May 4.
He said: “Only time will tell but looking at myself mentally and physically, I feel refreshed and ready to go again.
“The important thing for me was to come back and be ready to go again, which is how I feel now.
“I’m fine – I’m doing pre-season so I’m back. It’s just a case of getting fit again and into the swing of things.
“It’s a tough part of the year, but it’s all part and parcel of the game.”
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