Rob Green reckons this is his best season ever – but the QPR keeper has finally given up hope of playing for England again.
Green has 12 caps to his credit, and his performances for Hoops in a struggling campaign have drawn column inches of praise from pundits, fans and opposition managers.
A breathtaking stop against Hull in the 2-1 defeat followed hard on the heels of a scintillating performance in the 2-0 win over Sunderland.
As he prepares to face Arsenal, and maybe a second penalty save to go with the one at The Emirates on Boxing Day, a rampant Green insists he is done wearing Three Lions
“Would they pick a 35-year-old keeper? If you’re not going to play, what’s the point?” he said.
“You look at the keepers there. Ben (Foster) is the oldest at 32. As much as it’s an honour to be in the squad, it isn't going to benefit anyone but a young keeper coming through.”
All the same, Green admits that if others in Hoops are finding the going tough, the veteran custodian is in the form of his life.
“Best for a long time? Yeah for sure, best ever,” he added.
“It comes with age, experience and maturity, and knowing yourself physically and dealing with the smallest details.
You want to be consistent as you can, and let decision making take care of itself.
“Arsenal is going to be a tough game, and we’ve got to use the fact it’s at home to our advantage.
“If you keep it tight you frustrate them. We did that once we got the bit between our teeth at their place. We should have got something from that game.”
So he’s got the likes of Alexis Sanchez sussed after he stopped the Gunners star from 12 yards back in December?
“As far as penalty saves go, you’ve got video information and you look at little trigger movements. If you can pick up on something, you take it on board and use it as much as you can” Green explained.
“But there are an awful lot of times when you can do nothing – and that’s football.”
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