West Ham United midfielder Scott Parker is hopeful of an England return.

He said: "I haven't been thinking 'if only' about England. It's such a fine line. All I can do is play well for West Ham and that's my priority. I have to stay fit as well and if I can do that then hopefully it will happen for me.

"It's been a bit of a stop-start season with the international breaks but it's been good for us having the new manager and he has been hands-on with the players that are here.

"There were about 10 or 12 of us left over so we got some fitness work in as well."

This is Gianfranco Zola's first managerial post but Parker, who had learned his trade at Charlton under Alan Curbishley, had already been impressed.

He said: "He was a fantastic player and that has helped massively. We've got a young squad and to have a manager who was such a great player not that long ago helps, especially as so many people remember him or even played against him.

"He was always going to command respect as a manager whether or not he was a great player, but because he was, he has got that respect.

"From the ideas I've seen and the training you can tell he is definitely going to improve players."