FC Dallas defender George John is edging closer to a move to Premier League side Blackburn Rovers, and he said in an interview on Friday that the move would add to his chances of playing for the US national team.
Greek-American John, who was born in Seattle, holds a Greek passport, as his father is Greek, and was invited by Greece manager Fernando Santos to train with the national team in the US when Greece prepared to face Ecuador in a friendly in early June.
John missed training due to an injury at the time, but visited the Greek training camp and spoke with Santos and the players, with a view to a future in the Greek side, while thanking the federation and Santos for the opportunity he was given. He did add that if he were to receive an invitation from the US team he would "give it consideration".
Greece faced Bosnia in a friendly earlier this month and there was no mentioning of John in the call-ups. A few days later, John took the Greek national team completely out of the picture with his statements.
Asked whether a move to the Premier League would help him get into the US national team picture better (having missed a US team training camp in January, again due to injury), John replied: "Yeah, I think I've proven myself in this league [the MLS] and obviously I've had one call-up in the January camp. It's a dream to represent your country and we'll see what happens from there."
The fact that he is Greek removes any worries for securing a work permit to play in England, which other US-born players need to have.
Blackburn boss Steve Kean hinted on Saturday that John will fly in next week to have a medical test.
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