The 31-year-old Manchester United stalwart has been England's first-choice right-back since Euro 96 and went on to star for his country in the 1998 World Cup finals as well as the European Championships of 2000 and 2004. He missed the 2002 World Cup in Japan and Korea through injury and was replaced by Danny Mills. His first England opportunity came during the 1995 Umbro Cup when he played in the 2-1 win against Japan. A groin injury sidelined him for three months at the start of the 2005-06 campaign and he missed several qualifiers including the defeat to Northern Ireland.