Robert Green says he will fight every inch of the way to get his name on Sven-Goran Eriksson's squad list for this summer's World Cup. The Canaries keeper, who was in brilliant form at the weekend, summed up just what it would mean to get on the plane for Germany in one word: “Everything."

By CHRIS LAKEY

Robert Green says he will fight every inch of the way to get his name on Sven-Goran Eriksson's squad list for this summer's World Cup.

The Canaries keeper, who was in brilliant form at the weekend, summed up just what it would mean to get on the plane for Germany in one word: “Everything.”

Green, 26, is the favourite to be named as England's number three keeper when Eriksson names his final squad, with the other candidate, Chris Kirkland, unable to get into the first team at West Bromwich Albion.

But Green knows there are no guarantees, especially as he is currently plying his trade in the Championship - he was the only squad member for last week's friendly against Uruguay playing outside a top flight league.

“They have always said as long as you are playing games and playing well that's as much as you can do, so it is as much as I can do at the moment,” said Green. “In all honesty the selection process is out of my hands. All I can do is carry on playing as well as I can and if they turn around and say, 'at the end of the day you are playing in the championship and that's the deciding factor', so be it, that's out of my hands.”

The Championship it may be, but saves still have to be made, and Green's brilliant reaction stop to keep out Sammy Boungara's goalbound header for Stoke on Saturday was one of the best seen at Carrow Road this season.

Goalkeepers deal in fractions - and while he got his sums right on Bangoura's header, he was not quite close enough to prevent Paul Gallagher's free-kick equaliser.

“You can only do as much as is put in front of you and is asked of you,” said Green. “It was a fraction of an inch from saving a goal, a fraction of an inch from letting in the header, so you can only do what you're asked.

“If that's what it takes to get to the World Cup, then so be it and I will fight as much as I can to get there.”

Green, first called up two years ago, has won just one cap, against Colombia last May. He was in last week's squad to face Uruguay.

“It's great to be involved,” he said. “I got a text message to say it was a good squad to be involved in and I said, 'well, not as good as the next one'.

“I have missed one game through injury in two years and so to be involved with it again is still a massive thrill and hopefully I can play well enough and convince people that I want to be, and should be, part of the squad going to Germany.”

A World Cup call-up would be a feather in Green's hat, and a boost for Norwich City Football Club.

“I have played here for all of my career since I was a kid - your aims are to play for your country and you want to be involved in the big tournaments,” he said. “If I can be, then brilliant.

“It's a focus for myself and hopefully for the rest of the players. It's an added incentive to get there as long as there is a chance. I put in 100pc every game I play - but it just gives you that extra impetus.”