Aston Villa centre half Tyrone Mings has admitted his 15-month international absence was fair.

The defender has 17 England caps, with the last one coming in a friendly in March 2022.

Mings admits he has not been good enough in that period, but hopes that he can now show boss Gareth Southgate his worth.

“There always comes a stage in people's careers where there is a plateau and you are coasting," said Mings on England duty this week.

“These things are sent to test you, aren't they? The most important thing is how you react."

He added: “You just sometimes need a kick up the backside, don't you? And that can come in many different ways. Sometimes you ask for it, sometimes it gets delivered.

“If I look back now and think, “Was I really pushing myself every day to the level where I am right now?" Honestly? Probably not. That was the result of many different things but I certainly wouldn't change the last 15 months since the last game of last season to where we are now.

“We went through a poor period. I went through a poor period and now I can sit here and think it's taught me some very valuable lessons. I find I learn way more in times of uncertainty or disappointment compared to when it is going well.

“I genuinely believe every experience happens for a reason and even sitting there last summer thinking that I had fallen a long way from where I was, never did I think this was it, or there was no way back. I enjoy every experience I go through even when they are difficult."