Greg Halford is convinced he can crack the England squad after joining Sunderland.

And he admits it was his boyhood hero who convinced him to make the switch. Halford said: "I was a Manchester United fan as a youngster and Roy (Keane) was a hero of mine. He's a legend - the idea of working under him now is unbelievable.

"Playing week in week out is top of the list for me, and when I met Roy he said, 'If you get a full season under your belt, I'm expecting you to get to the full England squad'. That's exactly what I was going to ask him, because that's my ambition - so for him to say it wrapped the deal up completely."