Arteta keen to play for England
Spanish midfielder Mikel Arteta has said that would "seriously" consider playing for the English national team if called upon by manager Fabio Capello.
Arteta, 28, was born in Spain but relocated to England to play for Everton FC in 2005, and has been a resident of the country ever since. He is now eligible to apply for a British passport.
The player said to The Sun that he has yet to be approached with a concrete offer from the English Football Association.
“No one has contacted me about it and I said really clearly last week my thoughts about it. If that opportunity comes I will consider it very seriously," Arteta said.
“But that’s all I can say. I don’t think it’s me that has to make the decision. [The FA] have to think about the situation, they have to propose something, they have to talk to me, and then we can talk about it."
Replaced Gravesen at Everton
Arteta was signed by Everton manager David Moyes in 2005 to replace Danish playmaker Thomas Gravesen.
The Spaniard has since scored 23 goals in 134 league appearances for the club and been instrumental in its attacking play, causing many question why he has not been called up for Spain's national team.
It has been claimed that his exclusion from the Spanish senior squad renders him eligible to represent England despite having won 12 U21-caps for Spain in 2002 and 2003.
Rules unclear
But Scotland manager Crag Levein has cast doubt over whether Arteta really would be eligible, saying that a player must have been educated for five years in the UK to represent any of its national teams.
"As far as I'm aware, Mikel Arteta cannot play for England," Levein said, but also added that he would like to see the rules changed.
England play their first qualifier for the 2012 European Championships against Bulgaria this Friday, before traveling to Basel to face Switzerland on Tuesday.
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