England coach Roy Hodgson says he's delighted with his new-look defensive pairing of Joleon Lescott and Chris Smalling.

Hodgson took time out from preparing for Tuesday night's key World Cup qualifier in Montenegro to support his centre-halves.

He snapped: "Let's show some respect for young Chris Smalling and the not-so-young but tried-and-tested Joleon Lescott.

"Joleon is at Manchester City, the champions of England, and Chris Smalling plays for Manchester United.

"I'm not exactly putting a couple of non-league guys out on the pitch on Tuesday night and I think we should show them a bit more respect and not constantly compare them."