Jack Harrison has England in his sights - but Premier League safety with Leeds United comes first

That means keeping them in the Premier League and Sunday's game at home to relegation rivals Crystal Palace will be a big part of that.

On Thursday the 26-year-old winger committed to the Elland Road club until 2028.

But his ambitions do not end at club level, with the Manchester City youth product looking to make his mark at international level too.

Harrison is yet to win a cap but was in Gareth Southgate's large provisional squad for the 2022 World Cup – a signal that the Harrogate-based manager is keeping his eye on him.

Playing in the Championship is not a bar to playing for England at a time when Southgate has been vocal in his complaints about the shrinking pool of top-flight players yet seems fairly indifferent to those such as Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori who are performing well in Serie A.

Southgate has since admitted he would have picked Kalvin Phillips – then with Championship Leeds – in March 2020 had Covid-19 not wiped those friendlies out.

But breaking into the national set-up will certainly be a lot easier in the top division.

"England's got to be right up there with my main ambitions, it would be a dream to play for England and represent my country," said Harrison, who played twice for the Under-21s in 2017. "It would be unreal.

"Seeing how my family would react would really be amazing and sharing that with Leeds United would be a great experience too.

"Seeing how it happened with Kalvin and Patrick (Bamford, who won his only cap in 2021), I've seen how it makes them feel and it's something that I would aspire to do as well.

"I think England has got to be the number one (target) for me."

But staying in the top division is about more than just that for Harrison, who has grown attached to a club he has been at for five years, the first three on loan.

Leeds made an important step towards securing Premier League security when they beat Nottingham Forest at home on Tuesday, moving them up to 13th. But it was only a step, with the gap to the relegation zone a still-precarious two points

Victory over a Palace side who have been dragged into the relegation battle would see Leeds leapfrog the Eagles.

"I've been here during amazing times," he said. "I've had a lot of different experiences here which I've been really grateful for. I think it's definitely helped me in my player development and stuff and going forward I can only aspire to create more great experiences.

"The club has helped me to progress into the player I am today and play in the Premier League, which is something that I've always aspired to be as a young kid. The club has helped me to achieve that.

"I've been really grateful for all of these experiences, all of these great moments and I can only hope for many more with this club.

"We're in a good moment and we've won some of our games recently – crucial games – and got some points where we need them.

"I do have my ambitions as a player but I think when it comes down to it, it's about being in the moment as a team and looking to accomplish what is necessary within the team.

"Right now it's as many points as we can get and we have to take that game by game."