But he jumped the gun and went to play for England in the World Cup in Germany, and an injury has sidelined him for a full season.
Dyer Learns From Owen Dilema
But he jumped the gun and went to play for England in the World Cup in Germany, and an injury has sidelined him for a full season.
Dyer: "I've had a chat with Steve McClaren when he came to the training ground and he said some things to me which were very encouraging, but I don't think it's right to talk about England when I'm still easing my way back into things at Newcastle.
"Personally, I find all the international talk a bit embarrassing because I've still not played 10 straight games for Newcastle.
"It's ridiculous to be thinking about England at the moment.
"If people are still talking about me getting into the England squad at the end of January, then things will have gone well for me and then I can start to look at getting back on to the international stage.
"I just want to play football, enjoy playing football and get us up the league because we shouldn't have been down there in the bottom three.
"Of course I want to get back to that level where I am involved in England squads, but at the moment it's Newcastle, Newcastle, Newcastle as far as I'm concerned. I feel I owe the supporters a long run of good performances, not a handful.
"I've said all along that all I want to do is get a run of games for Newcastle and start getting my best form back. I've been pretty happy with how things have gone so far, particularly in terms of goals, but there is more to come.
"My match fitness levels are still not quite there because I've played so little football for 18 months. I'm naturally fit, but it still takes time to get that match sharpness back. Like any player, I need a run of games to be at my best.
"One of the main criticisms of me in the past is that I have not scored enough goals, but if you look at my record when I've played as a striker it's pretty good. To get three in six games since I returned is great, but I want to keep it going."
