England U21 boss Stuart Pearce is full of praise for Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor and his teammates.

The coach was angered in the summer when David Bentley pulled out of the European Championships through tiredness, while Agbonlahor could not be contacted to confirm his call-up.

But Pearce has been encouraged by a change in attitude.

Agbonlahor has returned to the squad for the 2009 qualifiers and travelled to play against Portugal this week, even though his twisted knee made him a doubt.

The Aston Villa forward just failed a fitness test for last night's 1-1 draw in Agueda, but captain Steven Taylor played 45 minutes carrying a back injury.

Pearce also had to send a host of injured players back to their clubs before the international break, despite eagerness to be part of the squad.

"It would have been easy for 'Gabby' to say he didn't want to travel," said Pearce. "He wants to be part of this set-up. The more that do that, the better it is for me."

Agbonlahor picked up his injury on Friday against Bulgaria - and although England lost their 100% record in qualifiers with their result in Portugal, a draw keeps them on course for the play-offs to reach the finals.

"It shows how far we've come when I see the likes of 'Gabby' desperate to be here," said Pearce. "He came off on Friday, and I thought he had no chance.

"The injury settled down, and the treatment was good. We feel he is very close to being fit and think he will be fit for his club this weekend. But we couldn't take that chance."