MICHAEL Ricketts is not the only player with England on his mind.

Teenager Alex Cunliffe also has the football world at his feet as he tours the USA with England Schools Under 18s squad.

The 17-year-old student at Turton Sixth Form College was chosen for the eight day tour which began at the weekend.

The central defender was due to line-up against US representative sides in North Carolina.

On his return to this country Cunliffe will join the squad again next month for matches against Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland with a further game against Germany being planned.

Cunliffe, who lives in Over Hulton, is captain of Manchester County Schools under 19s and last year captained the British side that won the world Catholic Schools tournament in Hungary. His football progress has not gone unnoticed and he is currently being monitored by a number of professional clubs.

He is currently playing non-contract with Walsall and he played for them in the FAQ Youth Cup against Spurs, who later went on to beat Wanderers in the last round.

"I was hoping we could have won that because it meant I would have been in line to play at the Reebok," he said.