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Injury-plagued Tottenham captain Ledley King has set his sights on representing England and Fabio Capello at next year's World Cup.

King, whose future has been under constant scrutiny in the last couple of years due to his ongoing knee complaint, was a surprise call-up to Capello's squad for the double-header against Slovakia and Ukraine but was forced to pull out with a recurrence of the problem.

"My priority first and foremost is always Spurs, but of course every player wants to represent his country at the highest level and, with the 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign going so well, there is a real opportunity to do something great on the international stage again," King told the May edition of Hotspur magazine.

"Every player wants to play as much as possible, but I've long accepted the fact that it is not a privilege I have, and if some kind of agreement cannot be reached between commitments, then it will obviously be very difficult to carry on representing my country. That's not an easy decision to make, but it's a situation that needs to be dealt with sensibly."

The injury problems have also led to 28-year-old King contemplating a premature end to his playing days - a consequence he is desperate to avoid.

"I was talking to some of the other older lads at Tottenham recently, and it's frightening to think that your career could be coming to a close," said the centre-half.

"It's obviously something I've had more cause to contemplate with the injury, but it has made me even more determined to continue playing, because when you have a glimpse of something coming to an end you will do whatever you can in your power to fend off that eventuality."

PA Sport / Eurosport