Jamie Vardy has mused over his 22-minute England cameo against the Netherlands in which he failed to touch the ball.
The Leicester City forward replaced Marcus Rashford in the 68th minute of England's 1-0 friendly win in Amsterdam on Friday.
Despite the visitors dominating the contest en route to victory, Vardy spent the entirety of his 20th cap harrying opponents or running the channels without claiming possession.
"It's true – I didn't actually touch the ball," the 31-year-old told reporters after the game. "I don't think that's ever happened to me before, but I did do a lot of running.
"I came on at a time when Holland were trying to get a goal back. As a striker you do sometimes have to sacrifice and we just want to make sure we attack as a team and defend as a team, so I had to help out the midfield as well.
"I'm hopeful I'll have my chance to play from the start against Italy (on Tuesday), but it's up to the boss (Gareth Southgate) what formation he plays and which players he wants to pick, so we'll have to wait and see."
Vardy has made 34 appearances in all competitions for Leicester this term, scoring 17 goals.
Giuseppe Labellarte
