WATCH: Wakefield Trinity's Tom Johnstone recalls "horrible" moment he thought England chance had gone AGAIN

Tom Johnstone getting a feel for the England attire. (Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com)

Wakefield Trinity winger Tom Johnstone has revealed the nerve-wracking moment he felt his England chances had disappeared for a third time.

The 23-year-old is one of five uncapped players today named in Wayne Bennett’s 24-man squad for the autumn internationals.

He missed a potential World Cup spot last year having seen most of his season wiped out by a knee reconstruction but has enjoyed a brilliant campaign this time, scoring 24 tries and yesterday being named in the Super League Dream Team for the first time.

He hopes to make his England debut against France at Leigh a fortnight tomorrow as Bennett’s side - which also includes Johnstone’s club-mate Reece Lyne - warm-up to take on New Zealand in a three Test home series.

But it could have been so different as the player admitted he thought he had suffered a second anterior cruciate ligament injury in the loss against Catalans Dragons at Belle Vue just three weeks ago.

Johnstone recalled: “First, I got an elbow from David Mead to my cheek.

“It was all inflamed and it put a dint in it.

“We had that in for a scan, but there was nothing wrong with that.

Wakefield Trinity's Tom Johnstone (SWPix)

“Twenty minutes later there was a loose ball and I went to pick it up, someone dived on it and my foot got caught and I managed to hyper-extend my knee.

“That’s what I did last time and I thought I had done my cruciate again. The pain was just as bad as it was before.

“It was the exact same team, same movement, same player. I just thought ‘oh my God’.

“Then watching the video back it was just as bad as the first one so it was full panic stations.

Wakefield trio Matty Ashurst, Bill Tupou and Tom Johnstone at Monday's Super League Dream Team announcement (Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com)

“I spent the following morning sat around (waiting for scan results). It was horrible to be in the house.

“The missus was all over the place, I was all over the place, just thinking ‘what if?’

“As soon as we got the call through to say the cruciate was intact, I was disappointed to be injured, but I don’t think I’ve ever been as happy.

“I was so happy I didn’t have to go through that again.

“That would have been the worst bit, working so hard to get back to where I am, to go through it all again and miss out on a possible call-up would have been devastating.

“But it was just bad bone bruising and a tweak to my MCL.

“I am ready to go.”

Johnstone did not get the call-up for the Test against the Kiwis in Denver in June but regular left winger Ryan Hall has since been ruled out until 2019 due to injury so there is an opening.