Newcastle United boss Sam Allardyce sees his England U21 stars Steven Taylor and James Milner as a key part of his long-term plans.

"I know plenty about Steven Taylor and James Milner and I'm looking forward to working with them at Newcastle United," said Allardyce, who will take a close interest in their performances when he watches England's games in Holland on television.

"It's important at a football club that you have good young players coming through and they certainly fall into that bracket.

"They already have a lot of first-team experience because of the injury problems at Newcastle last season and that will undoubtedly help their development.

"In terms of being young and English, they are the backbone of the team and hopefully I can help their development and they can have long and successful careers at Newcastle United."