A FUTSAL player for The New Saints was surprised after receiving a phone call from the Great Britain team manager asking him to join the team.

Lee Phelan was asked to represent Britain in a tournament this weekend in Italy.

They are in a six-team tournament with Italy, Switzerland, Morocco, Albania and France.

The 39-year-old will join up with the squad for the first time to take part in the tournament after being selected as a result of his good performances while playing for TNS.

Lee joined TNS futsal team after a short break from the sport, but has impressed in his time there. He is now hoping to cement his place in the Britain squad.

He said: “I know the goalkeeper coach for the Great Britain team, Andrew Ruscoe, and he recommended me to the manager when they were deciding on a squad.

“It was after that I received a phone call from the head coach asking if I wanted to be part of the squad for their upcoming tournament.

“I really didn’t expect the call up at all, it came out of the blue – considering I started at the age of 33 and I’m now 39, it wasn’t something I’d expected.”

Lee began playing futsal with his friends at a Friday night league in Wrexham, and after setting up his own team, won the league nine times in a row, reaching the Welsh Cup final on several occasions too.

He added: “I thought it’d be a good idea to enter my own team, so I did, and we were really successful.

“I took a break from futsal for a short while, before TNS approached me asking if I’d like to join them.

“At TNS I’ve been able to win more trophies and I was also made captain at the age of 39 which I’m really happy about.

“I do believe that playing futsal has made me a better footballer as a whole.

“I’ve always played football at a decent standard. I’ve played at clubs like Brickfield Rangers, Buckley Town, Gresford Athletic and I had a spell at Cefn Druids when they were playing in the League of Wales a few years back.”

With the Futsal World Cup on the horizon, Lee is hoping that he can perform well enough to be in contention for the squad.

He added: “Looking ahead to next year, it would be amazing to get in the World Cup squad for the tournament in Argentina.

“It would be such an amazing feeling to represent GB at the World Cup.

“I still feel very fit for my age and I’m still playing at a decent standard, so I don’t see why I wouldn’t be able to continue playing for a while.

“I’ve definitely got a few years left in me, so we’ll see what they bring!”