Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate was delighted to hear Fabio Capello admit David Wheater was close to winning a senior England call.

Responding to the Italian's quotes, Southgate said: "They're absolutely warranted by the way he's been playing. I think it's good for him to stay with the Under-21s for now, but the opportunity is there.

"With the new manager coming in, he's only going to judge people on what he or his backroom staff have seen over the past two months so there are opportunities for everybody."