Tammy Abraham has opened up about the difficulty of breaking into the England squad while playing your club football abroad.
The striker swapped the Premier League for Serie A when he left Chelsea for Roma in 2021, and he feels he's had to work even harder for international call-ups since then.
Abraham has one five caps for England since joining Jose Mourinho's Giallorossi, with the most recent of those coming last summer in a 0-0 Nations League draw with Italy.
And the 25-year-old believes that English players based outside the Premier League are somewhat up against it when it comes to earning a spot in Gareth Southgate's Three Lions squad.
Speaking to FourFourTwo for the latest issue available to buy, Abraham said:
"I would say so; I think that’s just normal in life. The Premier League is a league that English people are so familiar with as it’s live on TV.
"Serie A matches aren’t shown as much. I don’t remember watching a lot of Serie A when I was living in England. It’s difficult. You have to keep doing well, get people to talk about you more, then maybe you’ve got a chance."
Mind you, Abraham's form in 2022/23 hasn't lived up to the levels he reached during his first season with Roma, when he scored 27 goals in all competitions.
He's managed just seven goals in 39 appearances this term, and is currently on a run of 11 games without finding the net – his longest goal drought in nearly five-and-a-half years.
‘After Manchester City’s recent form, maybe they’re the underdogs against Manchester United!’ Former Red Devils defender on this weekend’s derby
‘Arteta, Alonso, Emery, me… none of us were physical players – we needed the understanding of the game. That probably helped us move into management’: Premier League boss reveals reasons for natural career progression
