Bentley backed for England
03 Dec 2007 - 12:45:59
Blackburn Rovers boss Mark Hughes believes David Bentley's current form is good enough to win the midfielder a starting place in the England team.
The former Arsenal trainee scored twice as Rovers came from behind to beat Newcastle United 3-1 at the weekend, a win that lifts Hughes' side up to eighth in the Premier League table.
"He needs to keep playing well," said Hughes.
"The important thing from David's point of view is that he's involved in England's competitive games, which are a long way away, so he's going to have to sustain his form for a long time. But he has the capability to do that.
"The level of his performances in the last 12 to 18 months have enabled him to get in the England squad, so the next step obviously is to continue to play exceptionally well for us and that will get him into the team.
"You saw the quality he has from set-pieces and he hasn't had that many opportunities, to be honest.
"When Morten (Gamst Pedersen) is playing, we feel that his ability at set-plays is exceptional as well, so David only has a few opportunities when the ball is in a certain position in and around the penalty area.
"But it was a great strike and he's always had that capability."