MICHAEL LAWRENCE is hoping to move a step closer to making his England Knights debut.

Injury ruled the 22-year-old Giants utility star out of contention for the Knights last year and he was overlooked for this summer’s one-off Test against Ireland.

But the former Newsome Panthers junior is firmly in the frame to play in this autumn’s series against the Irish and Scotland – and would love to finally fulfil his England Knights dream.

“Had I not required hand surgery this time last year, I’d have already made my Knights debut,” said Lawrence, whose ability to play either centre or back-row increases his chances of making the cut.

“It was a massive blow to miss out, and it was then a big disappointment to miss out against Ireland this summer.

“But I’ve trained four times with the Knights over the past few weeks and I think it’s gone well.

“I’d absolutely love to pull on an England shirt and represent my country at this level. It would be a dream come true.

“And it would also be good if Greg Eden was in the side, too.

“We’re determined to carry the Giants flag on the international front and do the club proud.”

Giants teammates Jermaine McGillvary, Larne Patrick and Joe Wardle have already had to pull out of the initial Knights’ squad in order to recover from injuries that have troubled them for some time.

But Lawrence feels 100% fit.

“To say I’ve only missed a couple of games this season I feel really good,” he added.

“There’s no doubt our physios at the club deserve a fair amount of credit for that.

“They’ve done a great job keeping me in this shape, and I know if I do play in the games against Ireland and Scotland I’ll be feeling relatively fresh, and will hopefully be able to make a very positive contribution.”