James Tarkowski says he’s desperate to break back into Gareth Southgate’s England squad after once again being snubbed by the Three Lions’ boss.

The Clarets centre half has been in superb form this season but will be forced to watch the Three Lions’ two Euro 2020 qualifiers this week from the sofa.

Despite the missing out for the games against the Czech Republic and Bulgaria, the 26-year-old says he’s concentrating only on his performances for the Clarets.

He said: “I am disappointed, I want to be involved, I feel like I'm playing really well, I'm at full fitness levels, playing every minute possible in games and I feel like I'm performing to the best I have done for Burnley.

“I'm disappointed not to be in there, but it's the England manager's decision to pick the players he feels suits his system so I'm not going to cry about it and get all upset. I'm just going to crack on with my game and enjoy myself when I'm playing.

"He's got the players in there that he wants to pick for his team and he feels is best for his system. I'm happy with my performances and that's all I can do.

"I'm a footballer and I want to play football, whether that's being a part of the squad for England, starting for England or playing for Burnley. I just want to play football.

“I'm desperate to be back involved in the England squad, but for now I'm happy in the Burnley one.”

Tarkowski’s performances for the Clarets this season have won him plenty of plaudits and he’s been instrumental alongside defensive partner Ben Mee in helping the Clarets collect three wins and three clean sheets from four home games.

The latest success, last Saturday’s 1-0 win over Everton, moved Burnley – temporarily – into the European places.

But Tarkowski and his teammates are keen to avoid all talk of a potential European adventure being on the cards.

He said: “We're performing well as a team and I want to improve on my own performances.

“There's a long way to go, but we've done well so far. This block of four games between international breaks has been good, but we've still got some very good teams to play before Christmas.

“There's a long season ahead so we've got to concentrate on performances, but it's nice to look at the table and be up at the top. There's a long way to go so we won't get too carried away.”