England's World Cup bid committee have been urged to use Paul Gascoigne to promote their push.

"Gazza should be given a leading role in England's World Cup bid,'' said Peter Beardsley, who is promoting Newcastle-Gateshead's own bid to be a host city.

"It is not my call, but he would be a massive asset. They've got people like David Beckham, who is a brilliant role model, but there would not be a more popular public face than Gazza.

"Apart from 1966, of course, most people would say their most enjoyable World Cup was Italia '90 when he was our star.

"When you think of the North-East, you think of Gazza and when you think of World Cups, you think of him, too.

"Had we won that World Cup - and we came very close - he'd have been ­acclaimed the greatest footballer in the world, and rightly so.''