O'Neill: Villa duo deserve call-ups

18 February 2010 14:57
The left-sided pair have been in fine form for Villa this season, putting themselves in the frame for Fabio Capello's World Cup squad.[LNB]England have struggled to fill their left-wing berth over recent years, with numerous players staking a claim for the role, but Downing could be a long-term solution.[LNB]Warnock, meanwhile, will be hoping to fill the left-back void created by Ashley Cole's untimely injury, or at least be drafted into the fold as back-up.[LNB]O'Neill feels both men would not look out of place on the world stage and hopes they will be given an opportunity to prove their worth at international level.[LNB]"I've said this before, surely there must be places up for grabs that the England manager is not completely decided upon," O'Neill told the Birmingham Mail.[LNB]"Stephen has been hovering around the squad just recently and that's good news and Stewart, of course, has been out with injury, but I think Capello thought a lot of him beforehand anyway. All of those things will encourage them."[LNB]O'Neill has reserved special praise for wing wizard Downing, with the former Middlesbrough man having sparkled for Villa this term since shaking off a long-standing foot problem.[LNB]"I think there's a lot more to come from him," he said.[LNB]"Again, he's had no pre-season, he's just been thrust into it and played a lot of games in succession.[LNB]"He hasn't really had a break either. I've been really pleased with him. I think he's slotted in very nicely.[LNB]"He's got great delivery and I think he has demonstrated in periods of games here the ability to go past people to leave them for dead.[LNB]"I think that's the sort of thing that he can do and that will become more prevalent as he gets to grips with it all."[LNB][LNB] Aston Villa v Burnley 1st Goalscorer: Downing, S. 10/1  

Source: Team_Talk