Jonny Wilkinson insists he is as hungry as ever to pull on an England jersey.
The World Cup winning fly-half, who has not played for the national side since November 2003, has suffered a horrendous run of injuries over the past two years.
But the 26-year-old is adamant he has a future at the top of the game, and he is looking forward to getting back to playing international rugby.
"I need something to look forward to, I need motivation," Wilkinson told Sky Sports News. "If I look back, that’s where I tend to go direction wise.
"I want to go on, I want another World Cup, I want another Lions tour, but the difficult thing is in between there has been a few ups and a few downs.
"I did not want to be remembered for something I did when I was 24 (the World Cup triumph) when I might play until I’m 32, 33."
Wilkinson has made promising strides for his club Newcastle Falcons in recent weeks and is beginning to get back into the sort of form that could see him receive a call from England head coach Andy Robinson.
The fly-half admits he relishes the pressure of playing international rugby.
"I want to be the best I can be, I want to try and be the best there is, and in order to do that I want to play at the highest level possible," he said.
"I’m now just desperate to play and try to get back to playing well, but I’ve got to prove that I can do it so there is a bit of pressure around on each game and I put a lot of pressure on myself with the way I play, but I’m getting back to enjoying my rugby."
Despite Wilkinson’s desperation to play at the top level again, he has been sensible enough to investigate other avenues he may be able to pursue when his career does finally come to an end.
He admits the idea of coaching – he recently recorded a new coaching video – is something he would consider seriously.
"I think the coaching for me has been a massive eye opener because I’ve always wondered whether I would be able to deal with not playing, because I’m so competitive," he said.
"I got so much satisfaction from passing on my knowledge to the younger guys I did with the book, and watching their eyes light up as they kind of understood what they were doing and how to get better.
"I think I have to get involved in something where there is pressure."
