King has impressed for Spurs this season, but the 29-year-old is struggling with a chronic knee problem.
“It would be a dream to pull on that England shirt again, and what player would ever turn that down?” he told Hotspur magazine.
“But there’s only one place where that starts and that’s here at Tottenham, and I need to play first and then well, so they’re the two things that I always concentrate on.
“Do that, and the rest takes care of itself.
“I’m quite philosophical about whether the call will come.
“All you can do is play your football. You’ve got to make sure you play well and if you do then you give yourself a chance.”
“Of course, I’d love to represent my country and be part of the World Cup squad though I can’t deny this season has been a difficult one for me – I’ve not been playing consistently and have had quite a few niggling injuries,” he explained.
King added on his knee problem: “Of course, the injury holds me back in one sense.
“But in another – through having to deal with the adversity of not being able to play every week, and not being able to train – I’ve had to invest heavily in the mental side of things. I believe that, in itself, has made me a more complete player.
“It’s not easy. But over the last couple of years I’ve become mentally stronger than ever before.
“It’s true, some days you do wonder if you’ve still ‘got it’, especially when you’re not assessing yourself every day in training. It makes it tough, but it’s something that I have learned to deal with.
“The lack of training during the week brings with it its own pressure. If I am rusty or tight, it’s all going to come out in the game. But I love playing and for as long as I feel I can perform at the highest level then I will do it.
“I still feel I’m playing the best football of my career, and when I can build up a consistency of games and get into a rhythm then that’s when I’m at my best.”
