Gray: I won’t be meeting Wayne Rooney while with England C!

Gray is one of eight new faces in manager Paul Fairclough’s squad and he revealed many of his family and friends are expecting him to be meeting up with Wayne Rooney.

The 20-year-old striker, who has scored seven in 12 games for Luton since his £30,000 move from Hinckley, said: “It will be a bit weird saying I’m playing for an England team.

“A lot of people don’t know how it works and think I’m seeing Wayne Rooney!”

But he is relishing the opportunity even though everything will be new to him.

Speaking on Monday, he said: “We are travelling down to Warwick today. We are then training for a couple of days and flying out on the Friday. We will train the rest of the week for the game on Tueday.

“There’s a lot of new boys there so I don’t really know them. I’ve played against a few of the Kidderminster boys and that’s about it. I’m buzzing.

“It’s a massive experience playing in another country and it’s a massive opportunity for me.

“I spoke to a few of the boys about it like Glees (Dan Gleeson) and Amari (Morgan-Smith) and they say it’s a great experience.

“The manager’s seen fit to pick me and that’s the main thing, everything else is a bonus.”

He is part of the 18-man squad for the International Challenge Trophy Group A fixture in the Arena Khimki, home of the legendary Dynamo Moscow FC.

It’s the first time England C have played Russia, and on what he expects, Gray said: “Because I’ve not been there it’s hard to say what it will be like.

“There will be good players over there and a hard test. It’s a lot of unknowns, but it doesn’t really matter.

“It’s a big step in my career for me.”

Representing England will also help to break up Gray’s summer after Luton’s cruel Conference play-off final defeat to York.

He added: “All you want to do is play football.

“Having a week’s break and playing again is good.

“You can break down the summer a bit more.

“Everyone enjoys a break after a long season but I think everyone wants to play.

“The legs need a rest and a refresh and it’s a chance to recharge our batteries.”

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