The uncapped 29-year-old Fulham midfielder was the most surprising name in Fabio Capello's squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Croatia.

He suffered cruciate knee ligament damage at the start of the 2006-07 season and remained out of action until January of this year.

His recovery was slow but Bullard's form since returning to action has been impressive.

"It makes you strong mentally, definitely," said Bullard.

"There's a lot of tough times going through injury, it isn't all upwards.

"You get a lot of dips in your rehabilitation and it definitely makes a you stronger person as well as just as a football player."

His call-up by England came as a surprise.

Bullard said: "I'm 29 now so it's fantastic for me."