Aston Villa striker Emile Heskey says he can handle being axed from England's starting line-up.

Heskey started England's first two World Cup matches - but had to settle for coming off the bench in the win against Slovenia.

But Heskey said: "The manager is there to pick the side and we have got to respect him and what he is trying to do.

"The manager has been the same - he hasn't changed."

Despite claims of problems in the camp, the England target man also added: "There's no unrest. The lads are really focused and that came through against Slovenia.

"We didn't have to prove a point - we have shown we can go from strength to strength."