MICHAEL Carrick has insisted he is the natural choice for England's holding midfield role but, despite impressing in Wednesday night's win over Uruguay, the North-Easterner has claimed his place in the World Cup squad is still far from certain.

With Frank Lampard nursing an ankle injury, Carrick provided a valuable defensive platform as he won his fifth senior cap at Anfield.

Despite his preference for pairing Lampard with Steven Gerrard, Sven Goran Eriksson has accepted the need for a sitting midfielder in the 23-man squad that will travel to Germany in the summer.

Ledley King filled the role in England's most recent internationals - October's 2-1 win over Poland and November's 3-2 success against Argentina - but the Tottenham player remains far more comfortable in his preferred position of centre-half.

Carrick revels in the holding role at White Hart Lane and, with the likes of Scott Parker and Phil Neville seemingly out of the international picture, has emerged as Eriksson's leading alternative to his tried-and-tested midfield four.

"I have been playing as a holding player at Tottenham for a while now and I'd like to think I have got used to what I am doing," said the Wallsend-born midfielder. "It is not for me to judge that though, I just try to do my best and hope that is good enough.

"I try to play my normal game. Ledley has done well there in the past and he is a very different player to me. He is such a good player that he can pretty much adapt to playing anywhere on the pitch.

"He is obviously more defensive than me though as he plays centre-half every week. Ultimately, the boss will decide what he wants from someone playing in that position."

King's versatility is a valuable asset, but Carrick's midfield knowhow is almost certain to win him a World Cup place alongside his Tottenham colleague.

The 24-year-old was regularly touted as a future international when he emerged from the same West Ham youth team that boasted Joe Cole and Rio Ferdinand.

Early honours at England Youth and Under-21 level underlined his obvious potential but, while Cole and Ferdinand progressed to England's senior ranks almost overnight, Carrick's development has been much more gradual.

It has taken six seasons of regular Premiership football to curry favour with Eriksson and, after waiting so long for a first international cap, Carrick is not about to take anything for granted ahead of this summer's World Cup.

"It would mean everything to go to the finals," he said. "I have been playing pretty well for Tottenham and my form has been at a pretty consistent level.

"We all know how the country responds to something as big as the World Cup and to be part of it would be something really special. But this is only one game and it is far too early to be thinking about anything in the future."

Perhaps for the players, but Eriksson's thoughts are already focused on Germany. The England boss claims there are still "one or two" places up for grabs and, while the debate over whether to take four or five strikers continues, his midfield plans are also still up in the air.

Both Jermaine Jenas and Kieran Richardson face a nervous wait before Eriksson makes his final cut. But, while the Swede was keeping his cards close to his chest yesterday, Carrick should have few sleepless nights in the final two months of the season.

"I was impressed by Michael on Wednesday night and I like him as a player," said Eriksson. "He started the season with Tottenham quite slowly but, recently, he has been getting better and better.

"I don't think I'm saying anything controversial there because, at the start of the season, it wasn't just me who was wondering about him. His club manager was as well and he wasn't playing in every game.

"He started some games on the bench but, since then, he has come on a great deal. Now he is starting every game on merit and has transferred that form to England."

* Peter Crouch is hoping that his first international goal will finally win over some of the doubters who were questioning his inclusion in the England squad.

After struggling to break his goalscoring duck in the first half of the season, the Liverpool striker was booed on to the field when he replaced Shaun Wright-Phillips in the second half of England's 2-1 win over Poland last October.

Since then, though, he has come off the bench to inspire last-gasp wins over both Argentina and Uruguay, offering an aerial threat unlike anything posed by any of his team-mates.

Crouch accepts he is unlikely to break up England's established strike partnership of Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney, but insists he can still play a vital World Cup role as a second-half supersub.

"Scoring my first England goal was a great feeling," said the 25-year-old. "Hopefully, it will prove a few people wrong.

"The manager has never doubted me - he has had every confidence in me and kept putting me in squads - and I feel as though I belong here.

"I would not be playing for England if I felt any other way. Hopefully, I can keep performing well for my club and get to the World Cup.

"A player always wants to start, but I am realistic enough to know that Wayne and Michael are top-class players and are going to start ahead of me. If I can play some role, though, that would be great.

"Ideally, I want to be starting but, if there is a role to be played, I want to be a part of the England set-up. With the goal against Uruguay and the way we turned it round against Argentina, hopefully I have made my point."